
Looking forward
11 March 2009
Saturday, Belgrade, Sport Klub
18 March 2009Two years after going live on Serbian nationally covered TV with two 2007 playoff games, and after last year’s final available via internet stream, CEFL has finalized its deal with Sport Klub that will put league games on TVs in eights European countries.
Kicking off with the very first game of the season between the Vukovi Belgrade and the CNC Gladiators, Sport Klub will broadcast at least six games of the spring part of the season, with even an optional seventh. Other than the first game, the remaining schedule of games that will be on TV is still undetermined, but will be decided soon.
The first game will go live in three countries: Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro, with the rest of Sport Klub’s channels showing the game on a delay.
Because of the TV deal, and other factors, some of the games of the 2009 season have been rescheduled. These include the two Vukovi – Wolves games, where teams have switched their home games, and the Dukes – Vukovi game that will now be played on April the 4th instead of the 25th. Also, the Cowboys – Gladiators game has been moved to the 4th of July.
Sport Klub is a sports-exclusive television channel that exists in all CEFL countries except Austria — Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia along with Poland, Romania and two countries in which the Serbian Sport Klub is brodcast: Bosnia and Montenegro. This potentially gives CEFL an audience of millions throughout the continent, and not only helps with establishing it in the countries with existing CEFL teams, but it could help with future expansion.
The league will aim for giving all teams an opportunity to have their games broadcast — other than for games in Belgrade and Budapest, there’s strong interest for a game from Novi Sad, if suitable location is found, and even for a possible playoff semifinal from Austria, if the Gladiators end up hosting it, despite Sport Klub not being available in Austria.
In many of the countries, Sport Klub has in prior years been the home of american football, including NFL and NCAA football. Although still far, far away from those competitions, this is yet another step the league has taken, that will put the whole sport to the place it should get, in the whole region.





