The Frankfurt Galaxy of the European League of Football have signed 6’5″, 260 pound Finnish defensive end Ville Valasti for the 2021 ELF season.
Valasti had signed with the German Football League’s Frankfurt Universe in 2020 before the pandemic canceled the season in Germany. After the cancelation, the native Finn returned home to play for the Helsinki Wolverines in Finland’s Maple League. Valasti helped his hometown Wolverines make it all the way the championship game recording 33 tackles and seven sacks during the seven-game season. He was unanimously named to the AFI All-Pandemic Team for his performance during the 2020 season.
Valasti on joining the rebranded Frankfurt team:
“I want to thank Coach Kösling for giving me an opportunity to play for this amazing franchise. This club has a unique history in German football and I’m glad we are able to take it back to international level of competition. It gives me a ton of motivation to get better and allows me to show that I can perform at the highest level in Europe.”
As a young player, Valasti was a member of the Finnish national team, and played for both the Helsinki Roosters and Helsinki Wolverines.
He went on to play college football in the United States, beginning with Diablo Valley Community College where he earned all-state honors before accepting a scholarship to Eastern Michigan (NCAA D1), where he spent the final two years of his collegiate career. As a member of the division one Eagles, he played in 17 games making 13 tackles.
The ELF is scheduled to kick off the 2021 season on June 15.
Check out Valasti’s 2020 highlights here
https://twitter.com/vinasty55/status/1310542958136041473