NFL Germany Head: League Supports,Doesn’t Direct,European Football Advancement
Alexander Steinforth,general manager of NFL Germany,clarified the league’s role in the development of professional football leagues in Europe,stating the NFL aims to support existing structures rather than dictate their formation. In a recent interview with “Sport.de and NTV/RTL,” Steinforth emphasized a collaborative approach,focusing on areas like flag football and fan engagement.
The NFL’s position is notable as multiple European professional football leagues are emerging, including a five-year plan for a league aiming to capture the attention of football fans. Steinforth views these leagues not as competition, but as complementary entities that won’t detract from the NFL’s growing presence in Germany. This stance reflects the NFL’s strategy of fostering football’s overall growth internationally, rather than attempting to control its evolution.
Steinforth highlighted the NFL’s support through facilitating partnerships between NFL teams and European clubs, leveraging synergies in areas like flag football and fan activation. He stated, “We are not the one who granted advice, but try to support wherever possible…This is the role that we are in combination. To say that and so you have to or should do it.”
He also pointed to the strength of existing European league structures, particularly Germany’s established German Football League (GFL). Steinforth noted Germany is “very far ahead in the international context,” possessing a mature league system that predates recent European league initiatives. He believes the NFL’s success in Germany can coexist with,and even benefit from,a thriving European and GFL landscape,recognizing “the importance of such league structures.”