Central European Football League
Encyclopedia
The Central European Football League (CEFL) is a regional American football
league which, in season 2012, includes teams from Croatia
, Hungary
, Serbia
and Slovenia
. Initially, the league was named Southeastern European League of American Football (SELAF), and featured teams from just Serbia and Slovenia, to be joined by the teams from Austria
, Croatia
, Slovakia
and Turkey
in the following seasons.
Since the 2010 season, the league is played during the spring and summer months. This is in contrast to the first four seasons, when the schedule was played out from spring to fall, with a summer break. The league completed its first season in October 2006. Current champions are Vukovi Belgrade, after beating Budapest Wolves in CEFL Bowl VI, played in Budapest
on July 23rd, 2011.
, Vukovi Belgrade, Kragujevac Wild Boars
and Ljubljana Silverhawks.
The first ever league champions were the Wild Boars who beat the Vukovi 23-12 in SELAF Bowl, played in Belgrade
on October 8th, 2006.
The bowl game was played in Belgrade on October 27th, 2007, with the title won by Vukovi, after beating the Wolves 28-27 in dramatic fashion.
That season was also the first in which the league made it to television: the semifinal and the bowl game were televised on Serbian nationally covered TV Avala
.
In the newly named CEFL bowl, Gladiators beat the Vukovi 14-8 in Vienna on October 25th, 2008.
The bowl game was again played in Belgrade on October 24th, 2009, with the Vukovi reclaiming the title after beating the Blue Devils 39-20.
The season was also a considerable milestone for the league, as multiple league games have been televised on a trans-European channel Sport Klub
.
joining the league and the Cowboys, Gladiators and Thunder not returning. Cavaliers were scheduled to play the Blue Devils in the newly formed wild card cup, with the winner taking the final playoff spot.
The bowl game was played in Ivančna Gorica
, Slovenia on July 18th, 2010, where the Vukovi beat the Silverhawks 42-20 to become the league champions once again.
The title was again claimed by Vukovi Belgrade who beat the Budapest Wolves 34-33 in yet another dramatic bowl game between these two teams, played in Budapest on July 23rd, 2011.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
league which, in season 2012, includes teams from Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. Initially, the league was named Southeastern European League of American Football (SELAF), and featured teams from just Serbia and Slovenia, to be joined by the teams from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in the following seasons.
Since the 2010 season, the league is played during the spring and summer months. This is in contrast to the first four seasons, when the schedule was played out from spring to fall, with a summer break. The league completed its first season in October 2006. Current champions are Vukovi Belgrade, after beating Budapest Wolves in CEFL Bowl VI, played in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
on July 23rd, 2011.
2006 - Inaugural Season
The season featured a total of five teams, four from Serbia and one from Slovenia. Those were Novi Sad Dukes, Sirmium LegionariesSirmium Legionaries
The Sirmium Legionaries is the oldest American football team in Serbia, founded in 2002 in Sremska Mitrovica. From its inception the team grew rapidly, becoming one of the most organized and successful clubs in the region....
, Vukovi Belgrade, Kragujevac Wild Boars
Wild Boars
The Kragujevac Wild Boars are an American football team from Kragujevac, Serbia.As a team, Wild Boars arose from friendly tossing on the field...
and Ljubljana Silverhawks.
The first ever league champions were the Wild Boars who beat the Vukovi 23-12 in SELAF Bowl, played in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
on October 8th, 2006.
2007
The second season was already a season of expansion for the league with the two new teams, a top Hungarian team, Budapest Wolves, and CNC Gladiators, then of Austrian Division I, and the Legionaries not returning. Teams were for the first time split in two conferences: North and South. North Conference consisted of Gladiators, Silverhawks and Wolves; South Conference consisted of three Serbian teams: Dukes, Vukovi and Wild Boars.The bowl game was played in Belgrade on October 27th, 2007, with the title won by Vukovi, after beating the Wolves 28-27 in dramatic fashion.
That season was also the first in which the league made it to television: the semifinal and the bowl game were televised on Serbian nationally covered TV Avala
TV Avala
TV Avala is a Serbian television network with national frequency. Registered as a limited liabilty company, the station was given a national TV frequency in Serbia in April 2006....
.
2008
Third season featured three new teams Bratislava Monarchs, Budapest Cowboys and Zagreb Thunder while the Wild Boars did not return. The Cowboys and Thunder joined the South Conference, also filling the vacant spot made with the departure of the Wild Boars, while the Monarchs were placed in North Conference.In the newly named CEFL bowl, Gladiators beat the Vukovi 14-8 in Vienna on October 25th, 2008.
2009
In the 2009 season Austrian Cineplexx Blue Devils replaced the non-returning Bratislava Monarchs. They joined a newly formed conference with the Thunder, Vukovi and Wolves. The other conference consisted of 2008 champions, the Gladiators, along with the Cowboys, Dukes and Silverhawks.The bowl game was again played in Belgrade on October 24th, 2009, with the Vukovi reclaiming the title after beating the Blue Devils 39-20.
The season was also a considerable milestone for the league, as multiple league games have been televised on a trans-European channel Sport Klub
Sport Klub
Sportklub is a European sports channel which has been broadcast in Hungary, Romania, Poland, Serbia and Slovenia since 2006. The Channel commenced broadcasts in Croatia during the autumn of 2007....
.
2010
The league changed format again in 2010, with the Istanbul CavaliersIstanbul Cavaliers
Istanbul Cavaliers is one of the strongest American football teams in Turkey. The team is a semi-pro club team attending national league held in Turkey...
joining the league and the Cowboys, Gladiators and Thunder not returning. Cavaliers were scheduled to play the Blue Devils in the newly formed wild card cup, with the winner taking the final playoff spot.
The bowl game was played in Ivančna Gorica
Ivancna Gorica
Ivančna Gorica is a settlement and a municipality in central Slovenia. It is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Central Slovenian statistical region....
, Slovenia on July 18th, 2010, where the Vukovi beat the Silverhawks 42-20 to become the league champions once again.
2011
In the 2011 season the league saw the departure of Blue Devils and Dukes, leaving four teams, all national champions in their respective countries, in competition.The title was again claimed by Vukovi Belgrade who beat the Budapest Wolves 34-33 in yet another dramatic bowl game between these two teams, played in Budapest on July 23rd, 2011.
External links
- Central European Football League
- CEFL: Vukovi počinju odbranu titule, B92, April 17, 2008