The Super Bowl – hardly any sports fan does not know it. The final of the NFL, the American football league, inspires millions of viewers around the world year after year. The German counterpart will take place on Saturday in Frankfurt, in front of a much smaller audience, but with Swabian participation.
At the Hagenbach stadium in Schwäbisch Hall he is getting strong again. Final training of the Unicorns before the German Bowl, the final of the German football championship on Saturday in Frankfurt against the Potsdam Royals (18:00). The intensity of the unit is no coincidence: “A lot will depend on our chemistry. The boys are in good spirits, they talk and laugh with each other. This will play an important role,” says coach Jordan Neumann.
Notable development
The 39-year-old has been head coach at Schwäbisch Hall since 2016. From 2001 to 2004 he was quarterback at McCurry University in Texas. College football is very popular in the United States. When Neumann came to Germany in 2005 to play for the Unicorns, many things were still unknown to him. But things have improved in this country since then: “He’s become more professional and the players are better too. It’s still a difference to American football in the US, but it’s not that big anymore.”
A fixture of the German football league
In particular, public interest in the German Football League cannot be compared to that of the American NFL. Usually around 2,000 spectators come to the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns matches. After all: there are many more at the German Bowl. Last year, more than 14,000 football fans flocked to Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park. Since 2011, the Unicorns have participated in nine out of ten finals for the championship. They also managed to win the cup four times, the most recent in 2018. The following year the team achieved a streak of 50 consecutive victories. Just with the title it shouldn’t work in the end. The series ended immediately after a 7:10 defeat in the German Bowl.
With ease to the title
So now there is another ending for the Unicorns. After a so-called “perfect season” with twelve wins out of twelve games, the title should now follow. In any case, the match schedule is: “We have worked a lot on our tactics in the last few weeks. But I would say that it is important that everyone enters this game as if it were normal. Very relaxed, very easy,” Neumann wishes. Obviously this is the German championship. But even looking tense isn’t effective: “It’s about the right balance.” The Unicorns will miss receiver Jake Parker after suffering his second knee injury this season. Bryce Nunnelli replaces him. Otherwise Neumann can draw from solid.
The final brings with it a special feature: as the German Football League is divided into teams from the north and south, the two winning teams only meet in the German Cup. In addition, the Potsdam Royals, who are particularly convincing with a strong attack right now, are in a German bowl for the first time. This makes it difficult to prepare for the game: “Obviously there is enough cinematic material. But what’s different is that we’ve never played them. We don’t really get a sense of how big, strong or fast they are. We’ll find out then. ” The two receivers Brandon Polk and Jarod Wolfe and running back Karri Pajarinen stand out in particular. He has accounted for more than half of the Royals’ 88 touchdowns this year.
Fans can expect a close match on Saturday, Neumann is certain: “Two teams will meet at the highest level in Europe, it’s just fun!” The team is on their way to Frankfurt on Friday. Schwäbisch Hall unicorns are well prepared. With the right balance, the fifth title in the club’s history should arrive on Saturday.
