Leipzig Kings

Leipzig Kings

Established	2021 (2021)
Based in	Leipzig, Germany
Home stadium	Bruno-Plache-Stadion
Head coach	John Booker
League	European League of Football (ELF)
Division	Eastern Conference
Colors	Green, yellow, white
Website	leipzig-kings.de
2023 Leipzig Kings season

The Leipzig Kings were an American football team in Leipzig, Germany, that played in the European League of Football (ELF).

History

The Leipzig franchise was announced along with Berlin Thunder and Cologne Centurions in March 2021, as part of the inaugural season of the European League of Football. ^[1] In April, ELF commissioner Patrick Esume praised the potential of Leipzig for growing the sport and the athletes in the university, despite the relatively short time for the Kings to prepare for the first season. ^[2]

The Kings introduced their first head coach, Fred Armstrong, who previously coached the national teams of Sweden, the Czech Republic and Austria, and also gained coaching experience with Stuttgart Scorpions and two NFL teams, New York Jets and New York Giants. ^[3]

On May 7, 2021, the Kings signed Japanese wide receiver Yoshihito Omi who would be the first Asian player playing in ELF. ^[4] In 2019, Omi led in receiving with 33 catches and 544 yards for IBM Big Blue in X League, and acted as captain for the Japan national American football team.

The Kings were removed from the league amid the 2023 season. This came after a two week saga, which include the team suggesting they will "most likely have to stop competing in the European League of Football" ^[5] after their loan requested was denied by the league ^[6] and cancelling the upcoming week 6 home match with Prague Lions. ^[7] The Kings would later announce their withdrawal from the league on July 11, 2023. ^[8] A day later the ELF announced that the team will be taken out of the league for the remainder of the 2023 season and their license to participate in the European League of Football was "withdrawn", but would like to accept the team back for the 2024 season, if a suitable new owners will be found. ^[9]

Season-by-season

Season	Head coach	Regular season					Postseason				Result	Ø Attendance
		GP	Won	Lost	Win %	Finish	GP	Won	Lost	Win %
2021	Fred Armstrong	10	5	5	.500	3rd (North)	DNQ					2,072
2022		12	4	8	.333	4th (North)	DNQ					2,600
2023	John Booker	5	2	3	.400	DNF (Eastern)	Season cancelled					2,357

Stadium

The Kings are playing their home games at the 7,000 capacity Bruno-Plache-Stadion.

Roster

Reference ^[10]

Leipzig Kings roster

	Quarterbacks   Kenyatte Allen  3 Ferras El-Hendi Running backs   Maurice Baker   Leander Carstensen   Steve McShane   Niklas Ritter FB Wide receivers   Noah Bomba   Luis Moreno   Kélian Mouliom   Leander Winter Tight ends   Al Mustafa Khalid Almakki FB   Domenik Rofalski WR   Jens Walter		Offensive linemen   Dominik Behrens 74 Tilman Brütsch C   Joel Coenes   Austine Igba Ujene 68 Pollys Junio Sacramento T Defensive linemen   Felix Delgado   Nico Koch 97 Lance Leota DT   Carlo Reimann 92 Aslan Zetterberg DT		Linebackers   Niels Schroedter 49 A.J. Wentland ILB Defensive backs   Devan Burrell  4 Roedion Henrique S   Zil Jalaal Isaac-Turea 24 William James CB   René Merkel   Dominic Yaw Aboagye-Duah				Rookies in italics Roster updated 23 March 2023 4 A-import, 5 E-import, 22 homegrown 31 active

Transactions

From Hamburg Sea Devils: Dominik Behrens
From Stuttgart Surge: Noah Bomba
From Berlin Thunder: Kélian-Mathis Mouliom

Staff

Leipzig Kings staff

	Front office Owner – Moritz Heisler, Marc Quoadt General manager – Moritz Heisler Director of Strategy Development – Karsten Köhler Director of football operations – John Alexander Booker Head coach Head coach – John Alexander Booker Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – n/a Offensive line – n/a Quarterbacks – Elijah Miller Running backs – n/a Wide receivers/tight ends – n/a			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/defensive backs – David Shelton Sr. Linebacker – n/a Defensive line – n/a Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – n/a Strength and conditioning Head strength and conditioning – n/a updated 23 March 2023

References

1. "European League of Football mit Berlin Thunder, Köln Centurions und Leipzig Kings" (in German). ran (Sportsendung). March 22, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
2. "European League of Football: Chef sieht Potenzial in Leipzig". Zeit (in German). April 22, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
3. "ELF: Armstrong Cheftrainer der Leipzig Kings". Welt (in German). April 7, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
4. "European League of Football: Leipzig Kings sign top Japanese WR Yoshihito Omi". American Football International. May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
5. "Leipzig Kings pulling out of European League of Football?". American Football International. 28 June 2023.
6. "ELF: Leipzig Kings GM & Owner Moritz Heisler shares the State of the Franchise in Q&A". American Football International. 30 June 2023.
7. "ELF: Leipzig Kings Cancel Upcoming Game Amid Financial Insolvency". American Football International. 7 July 2023.
8. "ELF: Leipzig Kings announce withdrawal from 2023 season". American Football International. 11 July 2023.
9. "Official statement of the European League of Football on the Leipzig Kings 2023". European League of Football.
10. "ELF: 2023 Leipzig Kings – A Complete Roster Breakdown". American Football International.

External links

• Official website ^{[ permanent dead link ]}