With the 20-year-old Jonathan Mbanefo, the New York Lions under head coach Troy Tomlin are bringing a promising young talent from the British Isles to Braunschweig.
Through the BigKid Foundation, a charity organization that supports children and young people from socially disadvantaged areas in the London district of Lambeth, Jonathan Mbanefo found his way to flag football and the South London Renegades team at the age of 15. In two years on the Renegades team, he immediately won team MVP honors twice and flag MVP honors. This was followed by a move to the University of Nottingham, where, in addition to studying business administration and geography, he played as a wide receiver and quarterback on the Nottingham team.
In 2023, the 1.92 m tall and 97 kg amateur photographer came into contact with American football in Germany for the first time and played one season for the Minden Wolves team in the North Rhine-Westphalia Oberliga. With the Wolves he not only played on the attack side, but was also used on defense both as an outside linebacker and as a pass defender.
The next big step for the football talent born in Poland (Gdansk) will come in 2024 with the jump to the Erima-GFL.
Photo: Minden Wolves