Founded | 2022 |
---|---|
Folded | 2024 |
Based in | Switzerland |
Home stadium | Lidl Arena Wil |
Head coach | Norm Chow |
General manager | Toni Zöller |
League | European League of Football (ELF) |
Website | helveticguards |
Uniform | |
The Helvetic Guards was an American football team based in Switzerland that played in the 2023 season of the European League of Football (ELF). [1]
The entry of the newly founded franchise into the professional league was announced on 13 May 2022, during a press conference to open the 2022 ELF season by the team's general manager Toni Zöller. Together with co-owner Mukadder Erdönmez and others they established the first ELF franchise in Switzerland. [2] [3]
On 26 August 2022, the team announced Norm Chow as the head coach for the European League of Football 2023 season. [4]
On 30 October 2022 the front office announced that they will play their home games in the Lidl Arena in Wil, Switzerland, about 25 miles (40km) east of Zürich. [5]
On 2 December 2022, the team signed Collin Hill to be their starting quarterback. [6] They added fellow US-American running back and wide receiver Silas Nacita on 17 December 2022. [7]
On 4 April 2024, the team announced the end of operations, to be replaced by another Swiss ELF entry. [8] On 11 April 2024, the new team name, the Helvetic Mercenaries, and the logo was announced. [9]
Reference [10]
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Rookies in italics |
Front office
Head coach
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Fussballclub Zürich, commonly abbreviated to FC Zürich or simply FCZ, is a professional football club based in Zurich, Switzerland. The club was founded in 1896 and has won the Swiss Super League 13 times and the Swiss Cup ten times. Their most recent titles are the 2022 Swiss Super League and the 2018 Swiss Cup. The club plays its home games at the Letzigrund, which has a capacity of 26,000 for league games.
FC Wil is a football club based in Wil, Switzerland. They play in the Sportpark Bergholz, which has a total capacity of 6,048. The club has consistently played in the Swiss second tier since regaining promotion in 1992, aside from two seasons in the Nationalliga A between 2002 and 2004. They won the Swiss Cup in 2004 their only major honour.
Peter Henry Metzelaars is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Seattle Seahawks, the Buffalo Bills, the Carolina Panthers and the Detroit Lions. He played college football for the Wabash Little Giants and was selected by the Seahawks in the third round of the 1982 NFL draft.
The Seamen Milano are an American football team based in Milan, Italy that competes in the European League of Football. Prior to that, they competed in the Italian Football League.
The 2025 UEFA Women's Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Women's Euro 2025 or simply Euro 2025, will be the 14th edition of the UEFA Women's Championship, the quadrennial international football championship organised by UEFA for the women's national teams of Europe. The tournament will be played in Switzerland from 2 to 27 July 2025. It will be the third edition since it was expanded to 16 teams. The tournament will return to its usual four-year cycle after the previous tournament was delayed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The European League of Football (ELF) is a professional American football league based in Europe, continuing some team names and logos of the former NFL Europe. The ELF played its first season in 2021, and has 17 teams in the 2024 season. Teams are located in Germany, Austria, Spain, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, France and Denmark with plans to expand.
The Stuttgart Surge are an American football team based in Stuttgart, Germany. They play in the European League of Football (ELF) as part of the league's South division. The team plays its home games at the Waldau-Stadion which is currently the oldest sports stadium in Germany still in use.
The Berlin Thunder are an American football team in Berlin, Germany. They play in the European League of Football (ELF) Eastern Conference.
Jakeb Jon Wayne Sullivan is an American football quarterback for the Berlin Thunder in the European League of Football. He played college football for the South Dakota Mines Hardrockers, a Division II program in Rapid City, South Dakota.
The Fehérvár Enthroners established in 2007 are an American football team from Székesfehérvár, Hungary. The Enthroners are competing in the Hungarian Football League. The team starts in the 2023 season in the European League of Football (ELF).
The Munich Ravens are an American football team based in Munich, Germany. The team starts in the 2023 season in the European League of Football (ELF).
The 2023 ELF season is the third season of the European League of Football, a professional American football league based in Europe. Seventeen teams from nine different countries will participate and will compete for the title at the Championship Game in the Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena Duisburg, Germany on September 24, 2023.
Lidl Arena is located in the city of Wil in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen and is the home ground of the football club FC Wil and formerly for the Heveltic Guards. The football stadium is owned by the city of Wil.
Collin M. Hill is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He is a double transfer and played college football at Colorado State as well as South Carolina.
The 2023 Leipzig Kings season is the third season of the Leipzig Kings in the European League of Football history.
The Paris Musketeers are an American football team in Paris, France, that plays in the European League of Football (ELF) in the Western Conference.
The 2023 Helvetic Guards season is the inaugural season of the newly founded Helvetic Guards in the European League of Football for the 2023 season.
Silas Nacita, nicknamed the Swiss Army Knife, is a former American football running back. He played college football at Cornell Big Red, before leaving the program and transferring to walk on at Baylor where he earned playing time during the 2014 season rushing for 191 yards and three touchdowns and a 6.2 yards per carry average. Nacita would be ruled ineligible by the NCAA and not allowed to play at the college level. He would first sign to play professionally in the German Football League (GFL) for the Marburg Mercenaries and Frankfurt Universe. He has also played for top-level teams in the Italian Football League and for the Danube Dragons in the Austrian Football League (AFL). He finished his career playing for the Helvetic Guards of the European League of Football (ELF). He has been one of the most versatile players in Europe for several seasons.
The 2024 ELF season is the fourth season of the European League of Football, a professional American football league based in Europe. Seventeen teams from nine different countries will participate and will compete for the title at the Championship Game in the Veltins-Arena Gelsenkirchen, Germany on September 22, 2024.
The Helvetic Mercenaries are an American football team based in Switzerland that plays in the European League of Football (ELF).