ELF: Homegrown Hero Series – France’s rising receiving star Florian Larose

| American Football | 08/22/2023

With only 2 weeks remaining in the European League of Football’s regular season, we’ll continue to highlight the league’s best international players, as the ELF Homegrown Hero series aims to shine a light on those players outside of the US and Canada making an impact on the ELF.

One of the major stories of the ELF’s off-season was the talent influx heading to the expansion franchise in Paris. Many players from the talented French national team as well as 2022 stars Zach Edwards and Kyle Sweet flocked to the French capital looking to play for Paris’s new ELF team.

While the Musketeer’s first season in the ELF hasn’t quite lived up to the hype, the team’s first season has had many highlights already to build off of for the future.

One such bright spot has been 23-year old French receiver Florian Larose. The French national team wideout had the honor of scoring the Musketeers first ever touchdown in week one, and hasn’t looked back since, routinely making highlight plays for the Paris offense.

Larose, who previously played for the La Courneuve Flash, has caught 25 passes this season for 323 yards and four touchdowns in seven games. 

Prior to joining the ELF, the 6 ‘4 pass catcher played for the Grenoble Centaures and Thonon Black Panthers in France, as well as the Potsdam Royals of the German Football League in 2019.

https://twitter.com/parismusketeers/status/1654133055131623424

Larose sat down with us for a quick Q&A on his football journey and his thoughts on the 2023 season. 

AFI: How did you start playing football?

Larose: I started playing football because my big brother discovered that we have a team in our city and he invited me to come, after that I never left.

AFI: What is your goal through the sport?

Larose: My goal is to do my best every time I step in the field and play for my teammates and give everything for them.It’s also to make my mother proud of me and my family.

AFI: How does it feel to be playing for the Paris Musketeers in the ELF?

Larose: As a young player in the ELF representing France I feel that people look at what we can do and we can encourage the sport to grow in our country and become better because we are the only professional team in this country.

AFI: What’s the future of football in France?

Larose: This sport can have a good future in France, it has a great development and this year a national channel bought the television rights to share the NFL regular season, plus the playoffs and Super Bowl.

AFI: What made you choose the Musketeers this off-season?
Larose: I was already in Paris when they opened the franchise, so I got a job and after that I went to practice with the Musketeers. We have a good organization, and a lot of things are here for our health and recovery.

AFI: What’s the goal of the Musketeers at this point in the season?
Larose: By now the goal is to win our game and making the team better every day

Alex is a former NCAA and semi-pro American football player who is now located in London, where he works in digital marketing. His goal in writing for AFI is to stay involved with the game that has given him so much. Alex enjoys covering leagues and