Glen Toonga

Glen Toonga
No. 77 – Nordic Storm
PositionRunning back
Personal information
Born (1995-03-17) March 17, 1995
London, England
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight226 lb (103 kg)
Career information
CollegeSouthampton Stags
Career history
Awards and highlights
  • GFL All-Star Team (2021)
  • 2x ELF champion (2023, 2024)
  • 4× ELF MVP of the Week (2× 2022, 2× 2024)
  • ELF All-Star First Team (2022, 2024)
  • ELF All-Star Second Team (2023)
  • ELF MVP (2024)

Glen Mbeleg-Toonga (born March 17, 1995) is a British professional football running back for the Nordic Storm of the European Football Alliance.

Early life

Toonga played association football and was active in track and field during his youth.[1] While studying mathematics at the University of Southampton, he started playing American football in 2014.[2] In 2015, he was named Offensive MVP of the university team, the Southampton Stags.

Professional career

London Blitz

From 2016 to 2017, Toonga played for the London Blitz.[2] With Toonga, the Blitz qualified for the Britbowl, the final of the British championship, each year, but lost both times. In 2017, Toonga was named the team's Offensive MVP. He was called up to the Great Britain national team.[3]

GFL and Lowlanders Białystok

For the 2018 season, he transferred to the Dresden Monarchs in the German Football League (GFL).[2][3] With the Monarchs, Toonga reached the semi-finals of the German championship in 2018 and 2019.

In the 2020 season, Toonga played for the Lowlanders Białystok (the GFL did not play due to the COVID-19 pandemic).[2] The team reached the Polish Bowl but lost.

Toonga returned to the GFL in 2021. With the Allgäu Comets, he finished fourth in the GFL South and was eliminated in the quarterfinals by his former team from Dresden. Toonga was selected to the GFL All-Star Team.[2]

Hamburg Sea Devils

For the 2022 season, Toonga was signed by the Hamburg Sea Devils in the European League of Football (ELF).[2] In twelve games, he rushed for 1,468 yards and 21 touchdowns on 257 attempts, leading the league in these categories. He was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in Weeks 5 and 9 and was selected to the 2022 ELF All-Star First Team.[4] On September 10, 2022, prior to the Sea Devils' semifinal game, Toonga tested positive for cocaine by NADA, although the test result was not available until October. Since Toonga was able to prove that he did not use the substance during competition or for performance enhancement, he was suspended for three months in accordance with anti-doping regulations.[5][6] Despite his good performance, his contract in Hamburg was not renewed because, according to General Manager Max Paatz, Toonga had "violated the values ​​of our franchise and the league's statutes".[5]

Rhein Fire

One day after his cocaine abuse became public, the Rhein Fire announced the signing of Toonga for the 2023 season.[7] The league suspended him for the first four games.[8] Toonga rushed for 926 yards and received for 77 yards. The Fire won the ELF championship without a single loss. The Fire would win the league title again the following season and Toonga himself was named the ELF MVP.[9][10]

Nordic Storm

In November 2024, Toonga was signed by the newly formed Nordic Storm for the 2025 season.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Hamburger Abendblatt - Hamburg (June 22, 2022). "American Football: Dieser Mann prägt das Offensivspiel der Sea Devils" (in German). Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Glen Toonga". Foot Bowl (in German). Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Von der Insel in die GFL – Glen Toonga läuft für die Monarchs – Erima GFL" (in German). Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  4. ↑ Hanswillemenke, Tim (September 24, 2022). "2022 All-Star teams announced". europeanleague.football. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Maximilian Bronner und Björn Jensen (January 31, 2023). "Doping: Kokain-Skandal bei Topstar der Hamburg Sea Devils". Hamburger Abendblatt (in German). Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  6. ↑ "European League of Football - Hamburg Sea Devils: Ex-Running-Back Glen Toonga wegen Kokain-Einnahme gesperrt" (in German). January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  7. ↑ Lars Albrecht (February 1, 2023). "„Fehler gemacht": Ex-Hamburger findet trotz Kokain-Konsums neuen Klub". MOPO (in German). Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Rhein Fire gibt Glen Toonga zweite Chance". rheinfire.eu (in German). January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  9. ↑ "European League of Football – Championship Game 2025" (in German). Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  10. ↑ "ELF Honors: All winners are named – Glen Toonga is MVP 2024 | ELF". Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  11. ↑ "ELF champions move to Nordic Storm: Securing two of the leagues top stars". Nordic Storm. November 7, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
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