Helvetic Mercenaries

Last updated

Helvetic Mercenaries
AmericanFootball current event.svg Current season
Established April 4, 2024 (2024-04-04)
Play in Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Wil, Switzerland
www.helveticmercenaries.ch
League/conference affiliations
European League of Football (2024–present)
  • Central Conference (2024)
  • South Division (2025–present)
Current uniform
Team colorsRed, white, black
   
Personnel
Owner(s)Sonja & Sandro Moor
General managerChris Rummel
Head coachJoshua Fitzgerald
Team history
  • Helvetic Mercenaries (2024–present)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)
Home stadium(s)

The Helvetic Mercenaries are an American football team based in Switzerland that competes in the European League of Football (ELF).

Contents

History

On 4 April 2024, the owners of the Helvetic Guards, the previous ELF team based in Switzerland, announced that the team would be ceasing operations, and that a new team would be replacing them for the 2024 European League of Football season. [1] On 11 April 2024, the logo and the name Helvetic Mercenaries was announced. [2]

Managing Director is Chris Rummel, who also worked as Head of Finance at the Swiss American Football Association and was responsible for the Swiss national team. Sports director was Matt Hammer, who also held this position with the Guards. Most Guards players and coaches were re-signed by the Mercenaries. In June 2024, Sonja and Sandro Moor took over the franchise as new owners. Jeremy Bryson became the new Director of Sports.

Val Gunn was head coach for the 2024 season, with former Guards head coach Norm Chow acting as advisor. However, on July 11, 2024, after the first win in six games, Gunn parted ways with the Mercenaries. Defensive coordinator Bryan Billy took over as head coach, but lost all six games. The Mercenaries finished as sixth and last in the Central Conference.

Head coach for the 2025 season is Marcus Herford. American Isaiah Weed was signed for the quarterback position.

Season-by-season

NameTermRegular seasonPostseasonResultØ Attendance
GPWonLostWin %FinishGPWonLostWin %
2024 Val Gunn/Bryan Billy121118.336th (Central)did not qualifyLast in conference1,028
2025 Marcus Herford/Joshua Fitzgerald(South)

References

  1. Aeberli, Manuel (4 April 2024). "Die Helvetic Guards stellen den Betrieb ein - Ersatzteam steht in den Startlöchern". endzone.ch (in German). Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  2. "Schweizer Footballteam heisst neu Helvetic Mercenaries" (in Swiss High German). 11 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.