American Football League Europe Names Tilia Udelhoven as Head of Performance
The American Football League Europe (AFLE) today announced the appointment of Tilia Udelhoven as the league’s new Head of Performance. In this newly created role, Udelhoven will serve as a confidential, player-facing resource across anti-doping, supplementation, regeneration, and natural performance optimization, working directly with AFLE athletes throughout the year.
From the Track to the Lab
Udelhoven brings a rare combination of elite athletic and scientific experience to the role. A former national-level competitor for Germany in heptathlon, long jump, and hurdles, she moved from competitive athletics into sports science. She is currently a PhD candidate at the German Sport University Cologne, based in the Institute of Cardiology and Sports Medicine’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Sports Medicine, and holds a Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Change & Innovation Management from the University of St. Gallen. Her academic work has focused on supplementation, overtraining, and anti-doping. She also holds instructor roles with the German Football Association (DFB) and the National Anti-Doping Agency Germany (NADA). Udelhoven brings together every qualification the role calls for; few candidates combine elite competitive experience with this level of scientific and regulatory expertise.
A Confidential Resource for Players
The Head of Performance role operates under strict confidentiality. Nothing discussed between a player and Udelhoven is reported internally to coaches, general managers, or other players, nor shared externally. Players can approach her with full trust that these conversations stay private, giving them a direct, safe line to expert guidance throughout the season.
This confidentiality is not incidental to the role; it is the foundation it is built on: only with that guarantee can players raise sensitive questions openly without hesitation.
Scope of the Role
Udelhoven’s mandate as Head of Performance spans five core areas: anti-doping, supplements, regeneration, relaxation and sleep, natural performance optimization, and sports nutrition.
Andreas Nommensen, Commissioner of the AFLE, said: “Tilia is exactly the kind of expert we wanted in this role: someone our players can trust completely, backed by real credibility both as a former elite athlete and as a scientist. Player welfare and performance integrity are central to how we want this league to operate, and having a confidential, expert resource like Tilia in place from today on sends a clear signal about the standard we’re building the AFLE around.”
Tilia Udelhoven added, “I’m really excited about this new role and the opportunity to make a real difference for our players. My goal is to create a safe, trusted space where players feel supported throughout the season, can ask questions, and get the right guidance on anti-doping, supplements, nutrition, medication, recovery, and sleep. It’s really important to me that players feel supported and empowered to make informed decisions, stay healthy and perform at their best, while protecting their health, their careers and the integrity of professional sport.”
