Fehérvár Enthroners

Lore & Background

After establishing in 2007, the team participated in the lowest league without noticeable success until 2015, reaching play-off for the first time. In 2016 a new football program started: the team moved to First Field, the first Hungarian American football stadium, and finished runners-up in tier 3, promoted into tier 2. In 2017 the Enthroners won Division I undefeated, and since then they participate in the HFL. In 2018 they finished in the 5th place, but in 2019, after finishing 3rd place in the regular season, they won Hungarian Bowl XIV. In 2021 they lost the final after an undefeated regular season, but in 2022 they won the HFL undefeated. Since 2018 the Enthroners are participating in the Austrian lower leagues. By the rules they had to compete in Divisions 4, 3 and 2, before promoting to Division 1 (second highest division in Austria). Despite winning the lower divisions the Austrian Federation did not allow them to skip any divisions, so Enthroners had to play in all 4 lower tiers. As since 2022 the Austrian Federation does not allow to promote teams into top level AFL to stabilize the 10 participating teams' positions, Enthroners were not allowed to play in the top division. In 2021 they entered the Central European Football League, but because of the Covid-related travel issues the Calanda Broncos won the match without playing. In 2022 the team participated in the CEFL Cup, won the Southern group and entered the final against Prague Lions. With a 24:20 victory on their home field they won the title. On May 13, 2022, during a press conference it was announced that the Enthroners will enter the European League of Football in 2023. Jamie Hill continued to be the team's head coach. In addition, the Enthroners second team continued to play in the AFL Division 1. After three defeats in the first three games, the Enthroners fired [3] The Hungarians also struggled both under quarterback Jerod Evans and his successor Kevin Doyle. They received two victories at the green table, after the Prague Lions had canceled the game in Fehervar, and the Leipzig Kings withdrew from the league. On 19. August 2023, the Enthroners were able to celebrate the first victory on the field: 19–3 against the Lions in front of their own audience.

Reader's Guide

The Enthroners' home is First Field, built in 2016, Hungary's first and only stadium built specifically for American football. The team's name references Székesfehérvár's history as the coronation and burial place of Hungarian kings from the 10th to the 16th Century.

Did You Know?

• The Enthroners had an unbeaten record in Austrian lower leagues from 2018 until early 2023.
• They won the CEFL Cup in 2022 by defeating the Prague Lions 24–20 at home.
• The team's first on-field victory in the European League of Football was a 19–3 win against the Prague Lions on August 19, 2023.
• Wide receiver Jon Cole was named 2025 Comeback Player of the Year in the ELF.

From the Bottom Tier to Hungarian Dominance

The Fehérvár Enthroners were founded in 2007 in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, and spent their early years competing in the lowest tier of the domestic league without significant success. That changed in 2015 when they reached the play-offs for the first time. A transformative shift arrived in 2016, when the club relocated to First Field — Hungary's first and, to date, only purpose-built American football stadium — and finished as runners-up in the third tier, earning promotion. The following year they dominated Division I with an undefeated record, securing their place in the Hungarian Football League. Their breakthrough on the national stage came in 2019, when a third-place regular-season finish led to a Hungarian Bowl XIV title. Though they fell short in the 2021 final despite another undefeated regular season, they capped their domestic dominance by winning the 2022 HFL title without a single loss. Two Hungarian Bowl championships and a perfect league season cemented their status as one of Hungary's premier American football programs.

A Turbulent European League of Football Chapter

On May 13, 2022, the Enthroners announced their entry into the European League of Football for the 2023 season, with Jamie Hill continuing as head coach. The inaugural ELF campaign proved difficult: after three opening defeats, Hill was dismissed. The team struggled under both quarterback Jerod Evans and his replacement Kevin Doyle, managing only two wins that came via forfeit when the Prague Lions canceled a match and the Leipzig Kings withdrew from the league. Their first on-field victory arrived on August 19, 2023, a 19-3 home win over the Lions, followed a week later by a one-point loss to reigning champions the Vienna Vikings. The 3-9 season ended Hill's tenure. For 2024, offensive coordinator Joe Ashfield stepped up as head coach, and the team improved to a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference with home victories over the Prague Lions and the Milano Seamen. The 2025 season under new head coach Mark Ridgle saw a 1-11 record, with only an overtime 34-31 win over the Berlin Thunder. Despite the struggles, the franchise announced in late 2025 that they would not return to the ELF in 2026.

Austrian Lower Leagues and a CEFL Cup Title

Since 2018, the Enthroners have maintained a parallel presence in the Austrian Football League's lower divisions, a commitment that required them to compete sequentially through Divisions 4, 3, and 2 before reaching Division 1, as Austrian federation rules prohibited skipping any tier. Their record in those lower leagues was remarkable: they remained unbeaten from 2018 until early 2023. However, a 2022 federation rule change barred promotion into the top-level AFL to stabilize the ten-team structure, effectively capping their Austrian ascent. On the international stage, the team made its mark in 2022 by entering the CEFL Cup. They won the Southern group and advanced to the final against the Prague Lions, claiming the title with a 24-20 victory on their home turf at First Field. An earlier attempt at European competition in 2021, when they entered the Central European Football League, was thwarted by pandemic-related travel restrictions that saw the Calanda Broncos awarded a walkover victory. Following the 2025 ELF season, the Enthroners accepted an invitation from the American Football Bund Österreich to compete in the Austrian Football League proper in 2026.

Royal Heritage, a Purpose-Built Home, and the Academy

The name Enthroners is drawn directly from the deep history of Székesfehérvár, the city that served as the coronation and burial site of Hungarian kings from the tenth through the sixteenth centuries. This royal heritage is mirrored in the team's home ground, First Field, which opened in 2016 alongside the reconstruction of Sóstói Stadion on the former site of MÁV Előre SC's ground. The stadium's name reflects its distinction as Hungary's first — and still only — venue constructed specifically for American football, and it also hosts select national team matches. In the spring of 2024, the franchise expanded its footprint by founding the Fehérvár Enthroners American Football Academy, a junior center designed to provide young players with both football training and school education. The academy also serves as a pipeline for the team's AFL Division I squad. Individual recognition has followed the team's collective efforts: in 2025, wide receiver Jon Cole, who joined mid-season, was named ELF Comeback Player of the Year, while defensive back Aleksander Borkovic received the Homegrown Player of the Year award.

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