What the Portuguese Federation of American Football has in store as the sport gains popularity

Posted by author February 13, 2025 Football

João Gonçalves, O Jornal correspondent
| O Jornal

It is by far the most watched event on American television, but the Super Bowl, this year played at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, also continues to grow in popularity in Portugal. The National Football League games, despite the time difference – the Super Bowl started after 11:30 pm in Portugal – have gained more fans and already earned the right to have games shown weekly on DAZN.

This year’s final was a disappointment as the favored Kansas City Chiefs were already down 34-0 near the end of the third period, a score that clearly reflected the superiority of the new champion Philadelphia Eagles. The final result, 40-22, is very misleading and suggests a certain balance that never existed.

In Portugal, the game has gained increasing coverage.

At Tribuna Expresso, Lidia Peralta Gomes, the writer who covers American sports, including the NFL and NBA, demonstrated that she has a deep knowledge of American football. She wrote: “the great dynasties also exist to fall. That is if a defeat means the end. In the case of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, it is quite possibly not the case, but the opportunity of becoming the first team to win three straight Super Bowls went up in smoke this Sunday in New Orleans against a Philadelphia Eagles side that was the epitome of a team. And since American football is still a team sport, the 40-22 victory highlighted the defensive strategy of the Eagles, who return to the title after 2018 and avenged the defeat suffered against these same Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago.”

In reality one of the points of greater interest for the residents of our area, the overwhelming majority of whom are fans of the New England Patriots, was precisely the possibility that, with a victory in this game, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs would begin to justify being called a dynasty, something that for many years was associated with quarterback Tom Brady, the GOAT, or best of all time, and his team, the Patriots.

Fortunately for the Patriots and their fans, the defensive strategy developed by Vic Fangio, the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, turned what would have been a historic night for the Chiefs into a nightmare.

As Lidia Peralta Gomes pointed out, Fangio’s game plan prevented “the infinite talent of the dancer Mahomes, and his ability to invent solutions and passing lines in the risks he is not afraid to take, which already been good enough to win games and championships,” as was the case two years ago, against these same Eagles, from being good enough this time and never became evident.

In any case, after the failure to make history, questions are surfacing about the future of the Chiefs, starting with the possibility that coach Andy Reid, who turns 66 in March, might decide not to return. In addition, there is the difficulty of adequately rewarding emerging stars financially under the constraints of the league’s salary cap.

There is also the strong criticism that arose as a result of the ‘blow out’ suffered in the Super Bowl, as exemplified by FOX Sports announcer Rob Parker, who suggested that Reid should resign because he seems to “be out of ideas.”

“Andy Reid should step down as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs,” Parker said during Fox Sports Radio’s The Odd Couple show. “Where were the adjustments? Where was the game plan? I’m not a football coach. Guys who are football coaches questioned the game plan. No running game to start, at all, and then you get behind, you gotta pass. This is what he did in Philadelphia all the time. Pass happy. Always throwing the ball. They got tired of that in Philadelphia.”

But on the other hand, Patrick Mahomes is only 29 and has already reached the Super Bowl five times, having won three. At his age, Tom Brady also had three titles in as many Super Bowls, but before retiring the GOAT went to seven more finals, winning four more titles, the last of which was in Tampa Bay, and suffered three more defeats.

Portuguese American Football Federation is growing

Pedro Esteves, the president of the Portuguese American Football Federation (FPFA), in an interview with Rádio Renascença, indicated that the Super Bowl brought good news for fans and players of the sport in Portugal.

“At this point, there are a number of people who, after a quick search, realize that there is, after all, American football being played in Portugal,” said Esteves.

American football began to be played in Portugal at the beginning of this century. The league, initially with only five teams, started in 2009 and this season grew to seven teams.

The first week, on Jan. 11, had the Devils defeating the Mutts by 41-19, followed by the Renegades’ victory over the Bulldogs by the margin of 17-7.

Currently, the Portuguese American Football Federation has 320 players registered, but Esteves is certain that the Super Bowl will bring more fans and players.

“The teams here are contacted a great deal from north to south of the country by young people and adults who want to have a first experience with American football, rather than us having to personally contact people,” said Esteves in his interview with Rádio Renascença. “This media coverage around the Super Bowl makes people come to us.”

Esteves was also interviewed by Lidia Peralta Gomes and confirmed to her that the main objective of his group “is to put the house in order” and bring stability to a league that once had games without referees.

“Obviously, we don’t want that to happen again, and we wanted to bring some tranquility to the organizing of the games and the competitions,” he said.

Esteves also revealed that his organization also oversees flag football, a variant of American football, with simpler rules and without contact.

That league has 16 teams, seven in the northern conference and nine in the southern conference, spread across cities such as Setúbal, Torres Vedras, Évora, Porto and Lisbon.

Esteves recently announced that the team from Wheaton College, Illinois, will travel to Lisbon on May 17 to participate in the first American football game between an American and a Portuguese team.

According to the league’s website, “Wheaton College, in the State of Illinois, will come to Portugal with an entourage of more than 100 people, to face the best Portuguese players, who will be selected based on their performance in the Portuguese American Football League, during the 2024/25 season.”

Esteves stressed “this will be a historic day for the history of the sport in Portugal,” and added that “the specific place and time of the event will be announced soon.”

To try to improve the quality of the league, Esteves continues to organize the ‘Camp Gridiron,’ which the league calls “the oldest event (Training Camp) in the history of American Football in Portugal.”

In this annual training camp, held in Mafra, “dozens of players from all domestic teams, as well as Spain, come together for four days of training, supervised by high school and college coaches from the United States, as well as former NFL players.”

It all started in 2009, in Paredes, at the time under the name of ‘Dusty Renfro’s Football Camp’ because it was run by Dusty Renfro, former college player for the Texas Longhorns, the Bufallo Bills (NFL) and Rhein Fire (NFL Europe).

Already under the direction of Esteves, in 2011 the event was transferred to Mafra, where it had the support of the city’s City Council.

In 2017, the Training Camp changed its name to ‘Camp Gridiron.’

The 15th edition will take place between July 3 and 6, under the leadership of “Drew Sanders, Head Coach & Athletics Coordinator of Vandegrift High School (Texas, USA).”

Portugal wants to have a flag football team at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028

As previously announced, flag football will be an Olympic sport in 2028.

As a result, because of recent developments and the progress registered under the leadership of Esteves and the Portuguese American Football Federation, the dream of having a Portuguese team in Los Angeles is gaining form.

Esteves explained that in order for that to happen it will be necessary to make the FPFA an institution with public utility status and, later, to become a public sports utility, a bureaucratic process that the president of the federation has already started.

“Only then will we be able to organize teams officially and have the support that will then allow us to more easily go to European and World Cups,” he said in the interview with Tribuna Expresso.

In September, a Portuguese team wants to compete in the European flag football championship and a fundraiser is underway to pay for the athletes’ expenses.

Access to “sports betting funds,” which can only happen when the FPFA has official status, would “certainly be more than enough to allow the participation” of the team, said Esteves.

The Super Bowl is one of the annual sporting events with the most bets.

There are huge differences between the two sports.

Flag football teams have only five to eight players and the games are played on a 50-yard field, which is half the size of an American football field.

The objectives are the same – to score touchdowns and stop the opponent’s ball carrier – but what becomes more appealing to the Portuguese players is that there are no tackles and the plays end when the tape that each player wears around his waist is removed.

“All the logistics are much easier,” explained Esteves. “The investment to create a team does not compare. I need around €200 ($208) to equip an American football player, at least. With €200, I create two flag football teams. And it is very attractive to children, as there is no contact.”

As the president of the FPFA explained, the non-existence of tackles avoids the need to find defenders “of 320 pounds,” so the characteristics of flag football adapt well “to the typical makeup of the Portuguese people,” who are not “very big” but are “fast and agile.”

As a result, Esteves believes that flag football “can become a big sport in Portugal.”

“There has been a lot of enthusiasm,” which has led to brutal growth, he pointed out. “Three years ago, we had a league with three teams. This year there are 16. I can say that in the last six months I helped form five new teams.”