American Football League Europe Appoints Jim Tomsula as President of the League
The American Football League Europe (AFLE) is proud to announce the appointment of Jim Tomsula as President of the league. In this newly created role, Tomsula will draw on his extraordinary coaching career spanning two continents to help shape the AFLE into a stronger, more competitive, and more enduring league. His mission: to make American football in Europe bigger and better. For teams, players, and fans alike.
Building the AFLE: Bigger and Better
As President of the AFLE, Tomsula will work closely with the league’s Commissioner Andreas Nommensen and franchise operators to elevate coaching standards league-wide, drive player development, support franchise growth, and raise the quality of game operations and fan experience. His decades of experience at the highest levels of American football on both sides of the Atlantic, and his deep ties to European American football make him uniquely equipped to help the AFLE grow bigger and better.
A Coach Who Has Done It All at Every Level
Jim Tomsula brings a wealth of coaching experience that few can match. He began his professional coaching journey in NFL Europe in 1998, working with the England Monarchs, Scottish Claymores, Berlin Thunder, and most notably the Rhein Fire, whom he led as Head Coach in 2006.
From there, he went on to spend 12 years coaching in the NFL, the pinnacle of professional American football, culminating in his appointment as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the 2015 season.
Tomsula Has the Ability to Build Something Special
When Tomsula returned to Europe in 2022 as head coach of Rhein Fire, he set about building something special. In 2023, the team completed one of the most dominant campaigns in European American football history, finishing the regular season with an unblemished 12-0 record and claiming the championship title. In 2024, Tomsula won the second consecutive championship.
This stands as a testament to his ability to build a winning culture from the ground up and is precisely the spirit that the AFLE was founded on: transparency, long-term stability, and genuine sporting competition. Jim Tomsula embodies those values: a coach who has always put his players and the game first. The league is delighted to welcome him as a key figure in shaping its future.
Andreas Nommensen, Commissioner of the AFLE, said: „Jim Tomsula is exactly the kind of person the AFLE was built for. He knows what it takes to win at the highest level, and he knows European American football inside out. If Jim didn’t believe in this project, he wouldn’t be here, and we are truly grateful that he will bring his knowledge and experience to the AFLE. With him on board, we are sending a clear message: we are serious about building something that lasts.“
Chief Executive Officer Joel Nagel added: “The American Football League Europe is proud and honored to have Jim Tomsula join and lead our league and our teams. His experience in building and running professional football in Europe is unrivaled. We are confident that with Jim’s leadership, the league’s financial backing and the spirit of “co-oper-tition” – cooperate Monday through Friday and compete Saturday and Sunday – we will build a sustainable and successful American football league across Europe.”
