Patrick Esume to step down as ELF Commissioner at the end of the season
Patrick Esume, co-founder and Commissioner of the European League of Football (ELF), will depart his role after the 2025 season, concluding a five-year tenure that shaped Europe’s fastest-growing gridiron competition.
A commissioner’s legacy: Building a continental league
Appointed in 2020 alongside Managing Director Zeljko Karajica, Esume helped launch the ELF with eight teams across three nations. Under his leadership, the league expanded to 16 teams from nine countries by 2025. Karajica praised Esume’s impact: “The ELF would not exist without him. He deserves our utmost gratitude for his tireless dedication.” Esume’s final public appearance as Commissioner will occur on September 7 at VfB Stuttgart’s MHP Arena.
From sidelines to boardroom: A storied football career
Before his executive role, Esume forged a reputation as one of Europe’s most accomplished coaches. He led Team France to its first European Championship in 2018, defeating Austria, and guided historic wins over Germany in 2017. His club career included a 2010 German Bowl title with the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes and a 2014 EFL championship. Earlier, he coached La Courneuve Flash to a 2009 French title. In all, his overall club record as a head coach is an astounding 85-19.
Pioneering transatlantic connections
Esume bridged European and American football through roles as NFL Europe’s only non-American coordinator (2007 Hamburg Sea Devils) and guest coaching stints with the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and Philadelphia Eagles. He also directed NFL Europe’s international development camps across Germany, Sweden, England, and Mexico.
Transitioning to new challenges
The 51-year-old entrepreneur and broadcaster cited professional commitments beyond football for his resignation. The ELF will conduct a thorough search for his successor, emphasizing continuity amid its expansion phase.
Esume’s departure closes a chapter defined by rapid growth, but his influence endures through the ELF’s thriving infrastructure and transatlantic partnerships.
