(c) EFAF

For the third consecutive year, a record number nine nations will be represented in the EFAF Cup.  The preliminary round is set to begin on April 17 featuring eleven teams in four groups. The semifinals are scheduled for the first weekend in June with the final game to be played in Mid-July.

The EFAF Cup was established in 2002 as the second European wide club tournament besides the EFL. Similar to soccer’s Europe League (formerly UEFA CUP), its primarily designed to provide international competition for national champions whose countries have not earned a starting spot in the European Football League and for teams from countries with EFL starting spots that fell short of the national title the year before.

Amongst the nine nations involved this year, such examples can be found. The Parma Panthers and Lazio Marines from Italy, France’s Saint-Ouen Cougars, Spain’s L’Hospitalet Pioneers and the Carlstad Crusaders from Sweden all will give the European stage a try after falling just short in the race for their national championships.  They will join the national champions Denmark Sollerod Gold Diggers, the Netherlands Amsterdam Crusaders, Serbia Kragujevvac Wild Boars, Great Britain London Blitz, and Switzerland in the quest for the EFAF Cup trophy. The Zurixh Renegades complete the field as a second Swiss team.

The EFAF Cup has proven to be the perfect preparation for teams planning to play within the EFL in the future. The EFAF Cup champion earns an automatic bid for the following year’s EFL competition.  Last year’s cup winner Prague Panthers contends for the Eurobowl this year and the other 2009 finalist from Thonon, France also made it to the EFL.  

From season to season a new race evolves making the competition fierce and unpredictable.  Only one of last year’s semifinalists – Dutch champion Amsterdam Crusaders – return and will be packed into what could be the strongest division of the preliminaries.   It will be no surprise if the semifinals feature a totally new set of teams.  

Amsterdam will first travel to Paris to clash with the Saint-Ouen Cougars and then host a game with the British champions London Blitz.  The winner of this Western European group will face the winner of the Scandinavian battle between Carlstad and Sollerod in the semifinals.  The Italian and Swiss teams are split up between groups 1 and 2 where Parma and Zurich face L’Hospitalet while Calanda and Lazio try to hold off Kragujevic.