Jim Tomsula Named CEO of the American Football League Europe
The former San Francisco 49ers head coach takes over the day-to-day leadership of the league.
The American Football League Europe (AFLE) is setting up its leadership for the next phase. Jim Tomsula, President of the league since the summer, becomes Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. He is responsible for league operations, central league services and the development of the franchises. Joel Nagel, who founded the AFLE in December 2025 and led it through its first season, remains the league’s owner and will continue as Chairman of the Board of its holding and operating companies.
The first season is in the books: eight franchises from seven countries, with the Vienna Vikings crowned the first champion at the Gold Bowl in Duisburg. Now the build begins. The Warsaw Eagles are confirmed for 2027, with more markets to follow.
A Football Man at the Top
Few people know European football like Jim Tomsula. He first came to Europe in 1998 as a coach with the England Monarchs, spent five seasons with the Scottish Claymores, won World Bowl XII as defensive coordinator of the Berlin Thunder and was head coach of Rhein Fire in 2006. More than a decade in the NFL followed, as defensive line coach and, in 2015, head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, then in Washington and Dallas. In 2022 he returned to Europe and led Rhein Fire to back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024, going 30-6 in the regular season and 5-0 in the playoffs.
Jim Tomsula, CEO of the American Football League Europe, said: “I first came to Europe as a coach in 1998. I’ve seen leagues come and go. What lasts is what you build with people. This league is here to stay. My job is simple: make the league better, make the foundation stronger. This isn’t a one-season project. It’s a job for years. In Football we trust.”
What Comes Next
As CEO, Tomsula will focus on four priorities: European talent, with clear pathways from youth and national programs into professional football; central league services, from officiating and broadcast production to medical standards, so every team plays to the same standard every week; more support for clubs on the ground in coaching, facilities and front-office structures; and growth built to last.
Joel Nagel, Founder, Owner and Chairman of the Board of the American Football League Europe, added: “We founded the AFLE to give American football in Europe a home that lasts. I am thrilled that we were able to bring in Jim as CEO. He is a football man through and through, he knows European football like few others, and the teams trust him. As owner and Chairman of the Board, I stand fully behind this league and behind Jim.”
