The euphoria was great Salzburg Ducks after promotion to the Austrian Football League (AFL). The disappointment was all the greater when Salzburg lost all of their first five games. “It was a mixture of jamming and misfortune,” summed up chairwoman Christine Gappmayer in an interview with SALZBURG24. But her team proved they are no lame ducks and responded with four straight wins. In the end, that was enough for seventh place in the premiere season. “The team showed solidarity, so I’m very proud of everyone. You have shown character.”
Salzburg Ducks start with bad luck in AFL
After the good years of the founding, where the first two seasons remained unbeaten in the regular season and dominated the divisions, the footballers had to get used to losing. “At 0:5 you start to have doubts. However, all the games were close and we could have won them,” the referee knows.
Of course, the loss of two top receivers also contributed to the bad start. But that was erased as the season progressed. The Ducks had the second-best defense and rushing offense in the AFL. Running back Noel Bernsteiner, who was crowned European champion yesterday with the U-19 national team, was partly responsible for the latter. “A star was born with him,” enthuses Gappmayer. In addition to Bernsteiner, two other Ducks players, Kerim Özdemir and Patrick Maid, were allowed to wear a medal. That shows the way the Salzburg footballers are going.
Salzburg’s football offspring are trumps
“We were in Salzburg’s schools and showed 3,000 children football,” says Gappmayer. The interest and talent of Salzburg’s youth for contact sports is enormous. Everyone can now prove that in the off-season in the numerous trial training sessions of all age groups. This effort laid the foundation for the success of recent years. “Our coaches from the fighting team are also present at the youth training sessions, because we rely on the youngsters.”
However, if you want to be competitive in the AFL, you cannot do without export players entirely. “If an Austrian goes to the USA, he is probably the best skier there. And vice versa, it’s similar, because Americans start playing football in kindergarten,” says the chairwoman. However, the expertise of the legionnaires strengthens the entire squad and also makes the parents happy. “Because we only speak English in training, the players learn the language in a playful way and that has had a positive effect on their school grades.”
Ex-Duck is recruiting players in Texas
At the end of the season, defensive player Hunter Schmidt ended his playing career with the Ducks and is returning to his Texas homeland. “There he teaches German at the high school and puts college players in touch with us,” says the strong woman at the head of the Ducks about the sustainable investment.
Posted by Salzburg Ducks am Monday 11 July 2022
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The goal is the playoffs
After Salzburg were able to win 40 percent of their games in their debut season and even had chances of making the play-offs up to the last day of the game, the post-season should work out next season. For this project, the squad should be strengthened accordingly. The extension of quarterback and key player Kris Denton was only announced on Monday morning. He threw 16 touchdown passes this season and had an outstanding 784 rushing yards. He was the second-best rusher in the entire AFL. The offense should now be strengthened around him. We are very satisfied with the defense.
Another season as a subtenant in Maxglan
Gappmayer was not at all satisfied with the weather, which left the ranks almost empty at the start of the season. Hundreds of die-hard fans braved the snow and cold, but there could and should have been more. “We always offer a lot to do with the game, but when it’s snowing you don’t go to football with the whole family,” explains the chairman. Towards the end of the season, the stands in the Max Aicher Stadium in Maxglan also filled up.
