The season in the German Football League (GFL) is just around the corner. Frankfurt Universe is set to play its first game in two years in Munich this Saturday. Is Mele Mosqueda’s team ready?
Many teams go into the season relatively poorly prepared. Some have only recently been able to train, others have been training for two or three weeks longer. In addition, like many others, we did not have the opportunity to prepare adequately physically in the gym. What has been going on in preparation this season is usually not enough for regular seasonal operations. But the main thing is that it is played again. Within the scope of our possibilities, with the departure of our entire first division squad and the entire coaching staff at Frankfurt Galaxy, we did the best possible to get a team to the start. However, we will definitely have to look downwards.
Daniel Zeidler
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Image: Daniel Zeidler / Photo private
How is the new head coach Mosqueda coping with the situation?
Mele is a coach who, typically American, has very strict guidelines for himself and everything related to his job. It is certainly very difficult for him to adapt to the current situation. You have to be clear about it: At Universe we are dealing with players who come from the second, third and fourth leagues.
How many spectators do you expect on Saturday next week (4 p.m.) for the first home game on Bornheimer Hang against the Saarland Hurricanes?
No spectators have been admitted yet. And first of all we want to see whether there should be a limit by then, for example to 250 viewers. And whether that makes any sense at all. Also because the costs for the hygiene concept and security will be many times higher than without a spectator. As a result, there are no options for planning sponsorship this year. The companies now also have other problems than dealing with sponsorship. Also: what do you have to offer? The only thing you have now is the live stream on GFL-TV.
How many viewers would Universe be able to cope with economically?
It is very difficult to say. With the hygiene concept proposed by the stadium operator FSV Frankfurt, there is a maximum of 800. But we mustn’t forget one thing: We have received corona aid in the almost six-figure amount. If we let spectators into the stadium, we have to refund the revenue from ticket sales and at the same time have much higher costs.
What can the fans expect in the stadium?
Of course we are not allowed to have a power party like in previous years. In this respect, it would be more or less pure football what the fans can expect. We don’t even know if we will have cheerleaders inside the stadium because the number of people there is currently limited to 70.
Mo. – Fr. at 4 pm; Sa. – So. at 6 p.m.
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How many fans do you think would join Universe given the competition from Galaxy?
There are sure to be some who are interested in both: Universe in the GFL and Galaxy in the European League of Football. I think we would get 500 or more fans into the stadium. But if you want to see both teams, it would of course be a lot more work. For this reason, we would probably adjust our ticket prices down a bit so that we can set an example for our “die-hard” fans in difficult times.
They share the stadium with Frankfurt Galaxy and the regional football club FSV Frankfurt. Aren’t there any scheduling conflicts?
It looks like Galaxy will only host three games on Bornheimer Hang. You want to go to the Frankfurt World Cup arena for some games. Still, it’s a challenge. But we mustn’t forget that Universe has the older rights to the games on Bornheimer Hang. And the stadium operator FSV has also worked hard to ensure that both teams can play here. Due to the pandemic, however, there are also more favorable conditions.
You have had to cede a lot to Galaxy: The managing director and patron Alexander Korosek, the training area in Ostpark, the office in the stadium and now also the “Purple Villa”, an old entrepreneur’s villa in Sossenheim, where the import players were housed. How did that happen?
14 players can be accommodated there. But we’re only planning with three or four import players. The villa would be too expensive for us over the course of the year. We now have to accommodate the players elsewhere. Basically, we have lost the entire infrastructure. All of this is bothering us.
What about the financing of the season – and the license for the GFL?
We have met all license requirements. Financially, we should be on the safe side with the options we have. Our focus is on the question: can we avoid the last place? Because then we have to go into relegation. We also have a lot of financial outlay from last year and are struggling with payments from 2019. Our budget will be between 150,000 and 200,000 euros. But I think we can play a safe season.
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