We were so very proud last week that our very own Oliver Zarembski has signed a professional contract with the Wroclaw Panthers of the American Football League of Europe to play in the 2026 season already underway.
He flew to Poland on Friday and suited up for his first game on Sunday as the Wroclaw Panthers beat the Berlin Thunder 50-12. Oli got in the game inside the last two minutes and carried the ball three times as the Panthers controlled the clock.
Oli joined the Kent Phoenix in late 2023 and became an integral part of our under 19 squad very quickly despite his young age at the time. With blistering speed, he quickly took on the starting role as our running-back and helped a young and rebuilding team to a 2-6 record.
Last season in his second year as the unquestioned starter at runningback, Oli exploded with 928 yards rushing in just eight games at a 6.3 yard average and 152 more yards receiving. He scored 18 touchdowns on the season and won our offensive MVP honours for 2025 as the team finished the regular season unbeaten and won the Southern Division before finishing 3rd in the nation overall, losing only to the eventual champion Poole Dolphins (see photo below).
Whilst moving to Loughborough to study last September, Oli has continued to be a part of our under 19 set-up but also was selected as a UA Next athlete in February and earned a call-up to the Polish national team u19 squad. He is pictured (above right) in his Polish national team uniform. Unfortunate news for Great Britain!!
Oli has contributed to our under 19 squad, the South-East Legion, in 2026 as well and was a key part of our wins over Poole and Bristol earlier this season. However, we are now so excited for him to go on to a greater stage with the Panthers. Oli has set many records while with us including being our first non-GB international player. But he now sets another record by becoming the first professional player produced by our club.
We can’t wait to see what impact Oli can have as a young talent in the AFLE. It’s still very early days for him and lots of hard work lies ahead. The Panthers are certainly doing well. After Sunday’s win, their record is 3-1 and they are just one game back from the division leading Vienna Vikings.
Wroclaw is a major city in Poland and being bi-lingual with English and Polish, Oli should be able to communicate well and settle in quickly. But with eight more fixtures to come in the AFLE this season, Oli will have to get up-to-speed quickly with the playbook and get used to the demands of adult professional American Football in front of several thousand fans.
Good luck Oli. Here at Kent Phoenix, we’re all Wroclaw fans now! You can follow Oli’s journey on Instagram @oliver_z07.
