The Helvetic Guards is an American football team based in Switzerland that played in the 2023 season of the European League of Football (ELF).[1]
 | |
| Founded | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Based in |  Switzerland |
| Home stadium | Lidl Arena Wil |
| Head coach | Norm Chow |
| General manager | Toni Zöller |
| League | European League of Football (ELF) |
| Website | helveticguards |
| Current uniform | |
.svg) | |
History
editThe 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]
Roster
editReference[10]
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Rookies in italics | ||||||
Staff
edit|
Front office
Head coach
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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References
edit- ^ "European League of Football - Neue ELF-Teams: Mailand, Zürich und Budapest steigen in European League of Football ein". www.ran.de (in German). 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "ELF adds Milano Seamen, Fehérvár Enthroners, and Zurich for 2023". American Football International. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ Marco Ackermann (23 June 2022). "Mit dem Geist der Schweizergarde – wie in Zürich ein Hotspot für American Football entstehen soll". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 3 December 2022.
- ^ "Helvetic Guards announce changes in the coaching staff with Super Bowl champions | European League of Football News".
- ^ "LIDL Arena Wil announced as Homefield". helveticguards.ch. 30 October 2022.
- ^ "Helvetic Guards sign Collin Hill at quarterback | European League of Football News".
- ^ "Helvetic Guards sign running back Silas Nacita | European League of Football News".
- ^ "Die Helvetic Guards stellen den Betrieb ein - Ersatzteam steht in den Startlöchern". 4 April 2024.
- ^ "Schweizer Footballteam heisst neu Helvetic Mercenaries" (in Swiss High German). 12 April 2024.
- ^ "ELF: 2023 Helvetic Guards – A Complete Roster Breakdown". American Football International.