Nitra Knights play against Znojmo Knights on July 13, 2024 in Nitra, Slovakia. (source: Facebook/ČAAF)
The Slovak club, the Nitra Knights, founded in 1997, made history in mid-July by winning the Czech Bowl, the Czech American football league championship, as the first team from Slovakia to do so.
Though Nitra is primarily known as a hockey town, American football has surged in popularity over the past few months, becoming the town’s second most-watched sport.
The Nitra Knights defeated the Znojmo Knights from the Czech Republic in a thrilling overtime match held at the Nitra stadium, clinching a 35-28 victory thanks to wide receiver Mário Bíro. This marked the first time in Czech Bowl history that the final was decided in overtime.
The game, broadcast by four sports television networks, drew a live audience of 2,458 spectators at the stadium.
“We’ve never given up,” said 27-year-old Canadian coach Nick Snider to Denník N. “I told the guys it was never about the trophy, but about what it represents - the hard work and sacrifice throughout the season.”
Besides the title, the Nitra Knights can also celebrate having the most valuable player of the Czech Bowl, Ľuboš Paprčka, on their team.
Amateur sport in Slovakia
Despite their success, playing American football professionally in Slovakia remains challenging. Only coaches and foreign players receive at least some salaries, and securing sponsors and promoting the sport is equally tough.
“We do everything we can on all fronts - on the field, in the stands, and through marketing. We work with schools,” said the club’s general partner Samuel Vetrák in an interview with My Nitra. “We maintain contact with the American embassy and are a partner of the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia.”
“We put much more heart and time into the club than we initially expected,” he added.
Popular among people of Nitra
The efforts are paying off, at least in the stands. Nearly a thousand fans regularly attended the Knights’ games in Nitra during the last season, including Nitra’s mayor Marek Hattas, doubling the average attendance of matches in the Czech league.
The club’s budget is in the low hundreds of thousands euros, according to Vetrák, but it has increased by approximately 25 percent year-on-year. The club relies on many smaller sponsors.
“The matches themselves are unprofitable. Our income comes from partners, merchandise, and ticket sales. We can cover our costs,” Vetrák said.
Generating profits is not even the goal, he added.
Watch the Czech Bowl final between Nitra and Znojmo:
