Last updated : Saturday, 29 June 2024
Introduction
The Northern Europe Football League (NEFL) is a proposed international association football competition to be played in a number of European countries. The aim of the NEFL is to allow clubs who have been successful in their national competitions to participate in a more competitive league that would be more attractive to fans and television viewers, resulting in higher revenues and the ability to attract more talented players.
History
The idea of a Northern Europe football league has been around for many years, but it has never been realized. The first proposal for a league was made in 2000 by Peter Fossen and Harry van Raaij, chief executive officer and club president respectively at Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. They contacted a number of other clubs, both in the Netherlands and abroad, with large fanbases, with the proposition that they secede from their existing league competitions and form an international competition with one another. A plan was drawn up for a league featuring clubs from the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal and Scotland, plus a contingent from Scandinavian countries. Talks were held with Ajax, Feyenoord, Porto, Rangers and Celtic; Celtic were particularly receptive of the idea. The league was planned to begin in 2002 at the earliest, following the conclusion of television rights contracts in the affected countries. By 2001, Fossen had abandoned a parallel idea of setting up a completely Europe-wide league competition (the Euroleague) - he had forwarded this idea through the influential G-14 group of clubs, but it was rejected by UEFA.
Current status
The idea of a Northern Europe football league has been revived in recent years, but there is no concrete plan for it to be implemented in the near future. There are a number of challenges that would need to be overcome before the league could be launched, including the need to agree on a format, find a suitable sponsor, and secure the support of the relevant football associations.
