FRANKFURT — The first NFL Europa title for the Hamburg Sea Devils will be their last.

After 16 years of losing money, the NFL folded its development league in Europe on Friday, calling the decision a sound business move that will allow for a stronger international focus on regular-season games outside the United States.

The league was reportedly losing about $30 million a season.

The announcement came less than a week after the Hamburg Sea Devils beat the Frankfurt Galaxy, 37-28, in the World Bowl XV title game in Frankfurt before a crowd of 48,125. Five of the league's six teams are based in Germany, with the other in Amsterdam.

"The time is right to refocus the NFL's strategy on initiatives with global impact, including worldwide media coverage of our sport and the staging of live regular-season NFL games," Mark Waller, senior vice president of NFL International, said in a statement. "We will continue to build our international fan base by taking advantage of technology and customized digital media that make the NFL more accessible on a global scale than ever before and through the regular-season game experience."

The league was used by NFL teams to test young talent and produced players such as quarterback Kurt Warner, who led the St. Louis Rams to the 2000 Super Bowl championship and won two NFL Most Valuable Player awards; Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme; and Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri.