Düsseldorf Rhein Fire Announce Home Stadium – Schauinsland-Reisen Arena
The Rhein Fire have officially announced they will play their home games at Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena in Duisburg for their first season in the European League of Football. The stadium holds roughly 20,000 seats in the straights. The arena’s surrounding area is well equipped to host the team’s “Fire Power Parties.” ire Power Parties will be tailgating events held before home games featuring various food trucks and drink stands.
The team stated in a press release that Merkur-Spiel Arena in Düsseldorf was the preferred location for the Rhein Fire, but due to several concerts and various events having to be rescheduled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was not possible for the team to reserve the required dates for their home games this season. Rhein Fire co-owner Martin Wagner commented on the decision to play outside of Düsseldorf this season, stating,
“It was not easy to make the decision to play our home games outside of Düsseldorf in our first year. At the end, it would not have been possible to give our fans the game-day experience we would have liked to offer. We will get together with the Sportstadt Düsseldorf in the near future to discuss possible solutions for next year. We are happy that we have secured such a great stadium with the Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena as our homefield for the 2022 season!”
Players Signed/Re-Signed
- Stuttgart Surge – QB – Randall Schroeder
- Stuttgart Surge – LB – Nikolas Knoblauch
- Stuttgart Surge – DB – Benjamin Straight
- Vienna Vikings – WR – Kimi Linnainmaa
- Düsseldorf Rhein Fire – DB – Daniel Duah
- Düsseldorf Rhein Fire – LB – Emre Zengin
- Düsseldorf Rhein Fire – LB – Thomas Van Den Oort
- Berlin Thunder – LB/DB – Paul Seifert
- Berlin Thunder – DB – Maceo Beard
- Hamburg Sea Devils – WR – Benjamin Mau
- Istanbul Rams – DB – Chad Walrond
- Cologne Centurions – DL – Alexander Boes
- Cologne Centurions – DL – Benjo Cerimagic
- Cologne Centurions – DL – Junior Briele
- Cologne Centurions – DL – Samuel Ziebarth
- Cologne Centurions – K – Jens Appelt
- Cologne Centurions – OL – Matej Bencek
- Barcelona Dragons – LB – Lautaro Frecha
- Leipzig Kings – OL – Max Bruder
The Stuttgart Surge have signed Randall Schroeder as their starting quarterback for the 2022 season.
Schroeder began playing college football at Trueman State University and transferred to Ave Maria University in 2017. By the time he finished his final game in college, he’d have the 3rd most passing yards in school history. In 2019, Schroeder signed with the Copenhagen Towers, leading them to win their first-ever Northern European Championship.
Schroeder commented on his recent signing with the Surge, stating,
“I chose the Surge because of the opportunity. What coach Martin [Hanselmann] is building in Stuttgart is special and it’s becoming increasingly obvious that the European League of Football is the future of American football in Europe, I can’t wait to be a part of a hungry team and an up-and-coming league”.
The Vienna Vikings have signed former CFL wide receiver and Finland native, Kimi Linnainmaa.
Before deciding to bring his talents home to Europe for the European League of Football’s 2022 season, Kimi Linnainmaa played for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts in 2019. The Finnish wide receiver commented o signing with Vienna, stating,
“I’ve been aware that the Vikings are a top organization for a while and after hearing the coach’s vision for the upcoming European League of Football season, it was actually a pretty easy decision for me to choose the Vikings”
Kimi Linnainmaa joins a roster with former FCF Wild Aces quarterback Jackson Erdmann, former Clemson wide receiver Diondre Overton, and the rest of the Vikings playmakers for what could be a very explosive offense.
Leipzig Kings Hire Former NFL Europe & CFL Coach, Richard Kent As Defensive Coordinator
The Leipzig Kings have hired former NCAA Division I, NFL Europe, CFL coach Richard Kent as their defensive coordinator for the European League of Football’s 2022 season.
Richard Kent began coaching in 1985 as a graduate assistant coach at Clemson University. He’d spend 5 years with Catawba College from 1995 to 2000, serving as the team’s special teams coordinator, secondary coach, defensive coordinator, and eventually head coach.
When NFL Europe formed in the early 2000s, Kent headed across the pond where he spent time coaching the Scottish Claymores, Berlin Thunder, Cologne Centurions, and Amsterdam Admirals. He’d go on to win 4 NFL Europe World Bowls.
In 2009, Kent moved to Canada and began coaching for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. Following his time in Toronto, Kent signed on as the secondary coach and special teams coordinator for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and helped the team bring home the Grey Cup in 2013.
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ELF Official Reporter – Christopher Hahn
