The Central European Football League is entering its second decade of play and undergoing a historic expansion to mark the occasion.
The league will jump from four teams in 2015 up to 12 teams in three divisions this coming season. Originally started back in 2006 involving teams from Serbia and Slovenia, the league has seen a variety of formats. At most, eight teams played in the CEFL in 2009.
With a total of six countries participating, the 2016 season promises to be the most exciting yet. The defending champion Novi Sad Dukes from Serbia return along with the winningest team in league history, Vukovi Belgrade. Vukovi has made it to the league final 10 times winning the title a total of six times.
Serbia is represented by four teams, Slovenia has three, Austria has two teams while Croatia, Hungary, and Bosnia & Herzegovina have one each.
This year will see three conferences:
Western – Cineplexx Blue Devils ( Austria), Ljubljana Silverhawks (Slovenia) and the Graz Giants (Austria).
Central – Kranj Alp Devils and Domzale Tigers (Slovenia), Zagreb Patriots (Croatia) and the Sarajevo Spartans (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Eastern – Novi Sad Dukes, Vukovi Belgrade, Nis Imperatori and Indjija Indians (Serbia), Budapest Cowbells (Hungary).
Teams from each conference will play their regular season games against each other, with the best teams from Central and Eastern conferences playing the wild card game before its winner travels to play the best team from the Western Conference in CEFL Bowl XI on July 2-3.
Source: Oli Novak, CEFL.