The tough everyday life of German players in the European football league

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Football professional in 40 hours in the office and small job

ELF started on November 4, 2020. There Patrick Essum, known as a TV commentator of Rhine football, and sports manager Željko Karjica announced the establishment of ELF. The operating company was founded in equal parts by Christian Binder (via TIEFA Beteiligungs GmbH) and Thomas Kröhne (via TKR Ventures).

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In July 2022, TKR Ventures acquired an additional four percent of the European League of Football GmbH. At the beginning of 2024, Krohne finally takes over all of the GmbH’s shares. The various social constructions alone show that the ELF, currently with 17 teams in nine countries, is a completely privately organized (franchise) system – similar to the NFL.

Luca Salvo has long been interested in football. “At some point I thought: If I don’t try sports now, it will be too late.” In 2018 he played for the Munich Cowboys’ second team, becoming champion of the Bayernliga and the team’s international player of the year. In 2023, he made the jump from the Cowboys to the Ravens via the German Football League (GFL), the former Football Bundesliga, and has since been one of the team’s wide receivers: in this position, he catches the quarterback’s passes and has to be able to act quickly.

Salvo notices the big difference in the level of the leagues: “In the GFL the attitude was like: my best friend cancelled today, then I won’t come to training either. In the ELF, more professionalism is expected, which makes it harder. You become a paid employee to come here, it’s a job,” he says.

Luca Salvo is now a professional. Accordingly, his life is now clearly structured. He wakes up early, goes to the gym in the morning and trains three times a week. There are also team meetings and a social media presence. On his YouTube channel he takes fans along and gives them an insight into the life of an ELF player. All this, of course, in addition to a 40-hour week in the office. Because: Most local players at ELF receive a mini-job salary of just 538 euros.

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