Preparations for the new European League of Football (ELF) season are in full swing.

Ahead of its third round, which will begin in June 2023, the league has expanded a second time.

Instead of twelve teams from five countries, 17 teams from nine nations will compete for Europe's football crown next year, and Frankfurt Galaxy will be there again.

League commissioner Patrick Esume and managing director Zeljko Karajica did not intend the odd number of teams.

It was supposed to be 18 teams, but the Istanbul Rams, who played last season, backed out.

The franchise could not have set up a powerful team for financial reasons.

The player carousel rotates

Nevertheless, as before this year's season, the expansion will result in new conferences - groups in which the later play-off participants will be played.

Again there will be three, Frankfurt Galaxy plays in the Western Conference and meets well-known and new opponents there.

Among the well-known are the Cologne Centurions, against whom Galaxy has played four times and won four times in the past two years.

The memories of the Hamburg Sea Devils, against whom Galaxy won the first ELF title ever in the 2021 final, are also positive.

And the Frankfurters have also had experience with Rhein Fire in the ELF, but not good ones.

Last season, Galaxy lost both games against the Rhein team, who play their home games in Duisburg.

The ELF final is also scheduled to take place there in 2023,

The Paris Football Team, on the other hand, is so newly founded that it has neither a name nor an emblem.

The French complete the group of five in Frankfurt.

In addition, Galaxy will meet two other teams making their debut in the ELF: Italian team Milano Seamen from the Central Conference and Féhérvar Enthroners from Hungary from the Eastern Conference.

The squad planning for the franchises is far from complete, but it is already clear that Galaxy has a very demanding program ahead of it.

Apart from Cologne, all group opponents are likely to be contenders for the title.

In addition to the three group winners, only the three teams with the most points in the league reach the play-offs.

Frankfurt has nevertheless proclaimed the title as a goal.

It was all the more important that the contracts of some key figures were extended for another season.

The team coach will again be Thomas Kösling.

There was no doubt about it, both Kösling and the then managing director Christopher Knower, now working as sports director, had said after the unsuccessful 2022 season that they wanted to continue working together.

Patrick Griesheimer, who works full-time at Galaxy and will be Kösling's assistant coach, remains the offensive coordinator.

American quarterback Jakeb Sullivan is also starting a third ELF season with Frankfurt.

Other players who stood out from the collective last season will also wear a purple jersey in 2023, such as wide receiver Lorenz Steuerungs, defensive end Karlis Brauns or tight end Kevin Mwamba.

Fernando Lowery and Ja'len Embry will no longer be part of the squad.

The two Americans will be replaced by players who played against Galaxy this year: Tony Anderson and Jamalcolm Liggins come from Innsbruck.

Liggins' obligation "had the highest priority," Kösling is quoted as saying.

"He's the perfect piece of the puzzle for our defense." In BerDale Robinson, another American defender of stature joins the team.

However, personnel planning is not getting any easier with increasing European competition, which also has to do with the ELF regulations.

In 2023, only six players from other European countries may belong to the squad, no longer eight.

Two French players have therefore already left Galaxy.

Cheikhou Sow and Mamadou Sy will play for the competitor from Paris next year.