LIVESTREAM Hungarian Football League kickoff: Győr Sharks @ Fehérvár Enthroners, May 1, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 09:00 am ET)

Reigning Hungarian Football League champions, the Fehérvár Enthroners play host to the Győr Sharks in the HFL season opener on Saturday, May 1.

The start of the HFL season was postponed because of the COVID pandemic in Hungary, but only for a month.

Current Hungarian champions, the Enthroners, have undergone a great deal of change since the team won the HFL title two years ago. Jaime Hill replaced Jim Ward as head coach and the coaching staff has other new faces as well. A number of new Hungarian National Team players joined Fehérvár, while the roster was also boosted with new import players like Rashad Still, Joe Bergeron or Devan Stringer. Nevertheless, the champion’s number one signal-caller, Bence Gombos will not be able to play because he has been admitted to hospital due to a mysterious disease.

The Győr Sharks start this season as champions, since head coach Gábor Boda’s team won the Division I title last year.

The Sharks built up a partnership with the Budapest Titans, which seems to be profitable. This also brought the success the team enjoyed in 2020 and it can provide a bright future for both teams. In addition, Győr also added some talented imports to the roster such as Chris Jeffrey as the new quarterback, who has much to prove since the Sharks have not been able to find a solid quarterback for years. This matchup will also be special for coach Boda, who faces his former team.

László Makranczi is a radio reporter, announcer and American Football journalist in Hungary. He lives in Debrecen and works for the Hungarian American Football Federation. Studied at the University of Debrecen, got a master’s degree in American