The 2021 ELF season was the inaugural season of the European League of Football, a newly formed professional American football league based in Europe. It started on June 19, 2021, and ended with a Championship Game in Düsseldorf's Merkur Spiel-Arena, on September 26, 2021.^[1]

Quick Facts League, Sport ...

2021 ELF season
League	European League of Football
Sport	American Football
Duration	June 19 – September 5
Number of games	40 + 3 playoff games
Number of teams	8
Total attendance	94,704
Season MVP	Madre London (Cologne Centurions)
Division Champions
North Division champions	Hamburg Sea Devils
South Division champions	Frankfurt Galaxy
2021 Championship Game
Date	September 26, 2021
Venue	Merkur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf
Champions	Frankfurt Galaxy (1st title)
Finals MVP	Jakeb Sullivan (Frankfurt Galaxy)
Seasons
2022 →

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The league is divided into two divisions, North and South. Each team plays 10 games during the regular season: twice against their division rivals, and twice against two of the teams from the other division. The top two teams in each division qualify for the playoffs, with the North and South champions qualifying for the Championship Game.

For the inaugural season, the ELF is mostly using adapted NFL rules, as opposed to adapted NCAA rules which virtually all other European American Football leagues use. There is a limit of two "Americans" (a category which also includes some other non-European nationalities) per down but people who are dual citizens of the U.S. and an EU-member country are not counted towards that limit in keeping with the Bosman ruling. Unlike in most other European American football leagues there is overtime during regular season games that are still tied after regulation, but the overtime rules are based on NCAA rules.

The inaugural Championship Game, between the North and South division champions, was played on September 26, at Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf.^[6] In a game in which the lead changed more than once, Frankfurt, not confident enough of the quality of their placekicker, opted for two-point conversions after every single touchdown (only one out of five being successful), and not attempting a single field goal. Meanwhile, Hamburg's kicker Phillip Friis Andersen, who led the league in successful attempts during the regular season and won "Special Teams Player of the year", missed 2 FG attempts, including one from 61 yards on the last play, that could have won the game for Hamburg.

The Championship MVP trophy was won by Frankfurt QB Jakeb Sullivan, who passed for 324 yards, with 4 TD and no interceptions, and added another rushing TD.

The inaugural All-Star Game was held one week after the end of the season, on October 3 (the Day of German Unity), at Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark in Berlin. It will feature a selection of the best players from the ELF, playing against the United States Federation of American Football All-Stars.^[7][8][9]

More information Year, Home ...

Year	Home		Away		Venue	City	Attendance	Ref
2021	ELF All Stars	26	US Federation All Stars	8	Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark	Berlin, Germany		[10][11]

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As of 5 September 2021^{[12][upper-alpha 5]}

Games without fans are not counted in averages or games played. All teams started the season with capacity restrictions, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^{[citation needed]}

As of 12 September 2021^[15]

More information Category, Player ...

Category	Player	Position	Team	GP	Stat
Passing
Yards	Lukas O'Connor	QB	Wrocław Panthers	11	3198
Touchdowns	Lukas O'Connor	QB	Wrocław Panthers	11	28
	Jakeb Sullivan	QB	Frankfurt Galaxy	10	28
Completions	Lukas O'Connor	QB	Wrocław Panthers	11	259
Completion percentage	Jakeb Sullivan	QB	Frankfurt Galaxy	10	66.5%
Rushing
Yards	Madre London	RB	Cologne Centurions	10	2177
Touchdowns	Madre London	RB	Cologne Centurions	10	23
Yards per attempt	Madre London	RB	Cologne Centurions	10	7.2
Receiving
Yards	Jean Constant	WR	Barcelona Dragons	10	1038
Touchdowns	Seantavius Jones	WR	Berlin Thunder	10	12
	Timothy Knüttel	WR	Leipzig Kings	10	12
Receptions	Jean Constant	WR	Barcelona Dragons	10	74
Yards per reception	Seantavius Jones	WR	Berlin Thunder	10	16.9
Defensive
Sacks	Kyle Kitchens	LB	Leipzig Kings	10	12.5
Tackles	Wael Nasri	LB	Berlin Thunder	10	141
Interceptions	Joshua Poznanski	DB	Frankfurt Galaxy	11	5
	Andy Vera	DB	Barcelona Dragons	8	5
	Justin Rogers	DB	Hamburg Sea Devils	11	5

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The following players invited to the NFL's International Combine, assigned to NFL's International Player Pathway Program (IPPP), signed or drafted by CFL team or signed with USFL team following their involvement with The ELF in 2021:^[16][17][18]