European League of Football and the German American Football Association agree on player transfer rules

The German American Football Association (American Football Verband Deutschland – AFVD) and the European League of Football (ELF) have come to an agreement on joint player transfer rules governing players transfers between the ELF and the German Football League.

Player transfers between the two leagues, particularly from the GFL to the four-year-old ELF, were a point of contention. The GFL saw many of its teams lose players, particularly German players, to the ELF.

The agreement allows for a regulated transfer of players from the GFL to the ELF from the end of the GFL season and until March 1 of the following year. If a transfer takes place between March 1 and August 31, a three-game suspension will be imposed on the player after joining an ELF team. In addition, no player transfers will be permitted between August 1 and the GFL Bowl.

It is also possible for a player to transfer from the ELF to the GFL after the end of the ELF Championship Game. Between March 1 and the ninth ELF game week, a three-game suspension will be imposed on the said player. Players will not be able to transfer to the GFL after the end of the ninth ELF game week until the Championship Game.

Players may only move from one league to the other with the consent of the transferring club/franchise. This is to ensure that players who still have obligations to the club/franchise from which they are transferring fulfill them. In addition, all suspensions will in future be equally valid in the other league. The International Federation of American Football, IFAF, has been informed of the new rule which is based on the current practice of the ITC (International Transfer Card) of the IFAF and is called PTC (Players Transfer Card). The PTC will be processed by the ITC office in the AFVD in the same way as the ITC.

This new rule is the first agreement to arise out of the ongoing positive discussions between the AFVD and the ELF. It has already been agreed that the rule will be jointly evaluated in August and adjusted if necessary.