In an online meeting at the beginning of February, the state football associations from Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland agreed to divide the twelve teams into three divisions. In the Hessen-Staffel (group east) there are the Fulda Saints, Kassel Titans, Wetzlar Wölfe and the Hanau Hornets. The Offenbach Rockets, Neuwied Rockland Raiders, Bad Kreuznach Thunderbirds and Haßloch 8Balls play in the middle group. In the west season, in which the Kaiserslautern Pikes also compete, the opponents are Saarland Hurricanes II, Pirmasens Praetorians and St. Wendel South West Wolves. As in previous years, the football associations surprised with the division into leagues, because suddenly teams that play a class lower and were not eligible for promotion, such as the Pirmasens Praetorians, suddenly belong to it.
Season start in July
The start of the season was set very late this year. The football season in the German amateur leagues usually starts in April or May. This year, the coronavirus will also be taken into account, so that the start will be postponed to July. After six games in the group stage, against each team once on their own pitch and away, the play-offs start. “I would have made the division into leagues differently. I would have made two groups of six and let the first two play in the play-offs, ”said Richard Folz, President of Kaiserslautern Pikes. The final round is simply unusual for football standards. Because usually the title holder is played out in a knockout phase. This time, the league champions are to be determined in a group of three. The bottom of the table in the league play the relegated out of the league.
Everything with reservation
All right? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that! “We don’t have any confirmed dates yet. The association is planning the league. Nothing has been officially confirmed yet, ”says Folz. He is now organizing the home games on this basis, even if there is still no fixed season schedule. “The final details are still pending, we are still waiting for confirmation from the association. But I’ve already asked the city and had the possible home game dates confirmed, ”says Folz. The city of Kaiserslautern has already agreed to the home venue in the school center south on the condition that the events are corona-related.
New head coach
Incidentally, the Kaiserslautern Pikes will no longer go into the new season with head coach Andreas Baur. In the 2019 Regional League season, he was responsible for the offensive coordinator for the pike’s attacking moves and had taken over the head coach function from Stefan Heiler for the 2020 game year, which was canceled due to corona. Without an official game as head of the coaching staff, he asked Richard Folz and the club officials to release him from his position. “It was Andy Baur’s wish. He has asked to be allowed to resign due to lack of time. For private reasons he wants to retire for the time being. We would have liked to keep him busy, ”explains Folz.
The position of the head coach is now taken over by Kai Lehmann, who was still responsible for the offense line in 2019. The 34-year-old has been with the Pikes since 2005. In 2011 he was promoted to GFL 2, the second division for football players, with the pike.
Squad planning is ongoing
The squad planning for the footballers from Kaiserslautern is also difficult. It is not finished yet. “We have a squad that is not completely ready,” says Folz. He is also in negotiations with four other newcomers. The final details have yet to be clarified in this context. “We have a good team and want to get into the play-offs,” said Folz, explaining his goal and hoping to return to the regional league.
In training, which is currently taking place digitally, the focus is on the tactical area. The coaches also meet twice a week to discuss things. “Our coaches are hard at work,” says the Pikes President.
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