REED. After a 22 month break, the Monobunt Gladiators Ried can finally play a championship game again on August 28th. Opponents in the Colosseum Noricum, as the gladiators call the Rieder athletics stadium, are the Gmunden Rams.
The Gladiators played their last game in October 2019 at the end of the season before the winter break. Until March 2020 they were still preparing normally for the new 2020 season, says General Manager Markus Grösslhuber, then it was over. The first lockdown came a week after their training camp.
Football without contact
In the summer they were able to train for about four to five weeks, but only under certain conditions: in small groups and without contact – which is downright counterproductive for football. Grösslhuber: “At least we were able to train fitness and stamina.”
With the second lockdown, that was over, too. There was only a cautious restart in the spring when it was possible to train at least with adolescents and students under certain conditions.
The A-team has been back in training since May 20th, with 3G and a prevention concept. Grösslhuber: “Most of the team has now been vaccinated, we also have a few recovered.”
Financially, the gladiators survived the forced break without any problems, says the manager: “We have no existential fears, but we have a year off. Fortunately, our sponsors have remained loyal to us. ”
Division 3
The Rieder Footballer will play in Conference B of Division 3 of the Austrian Football League in the coming season. Opponents are the Gmunden Rams and the Carinthian Eagles Villach, against whom there is a home and an away game. The Vertex Warriors from Wörgl have withdrawn their entry for this year.
The first two teams of the basic round of both conferences qualify for the playoffs and determine the promoted to Division 2 in the Challenge Bowl.
The two home games will take place on August 28 (Gmunden) and September 25 (Villach). For the failed third Game Day on October 9th, the gladiators are trying to organize a replacement program.
“It’s going to be a short season this year,” says manager Grösslhuber, who is already looking forward to the games in front of the audience. The audience potential for football in the Innviertel seems to be enormous. For the first official
The gladiators’ league game in April 2019 attracted 1,200 spectators – that even caught the attention of cult commentator Walter Reiterer.
Game Day
A game day in football is more than just the game. “A visit to our games should be an event for the whole family,” says Julia Gruber. For this reason, the club also runs a program for the children, for example, and does a lot for football newbies: the court announcer explains the referees’ decisions when the game is interrupted, and the most important rules and positions are explained in the stadium newspaper.
Markus Grösslhuber is well aware: “Without a short crash course, our sport is hardly understandable. But after a game we often hear from spectators: ‘I don’t know my way around, but I’ll be back’. ”
Beginner training
The gladiators are always looking for people. Every Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. they hold a beginner’s training session in the stadium (Info: gladiators.at).
Anyone can apply. “There is no figure that is not suitable for football,” says head coach Raffael Gruber. “There are also 120 kilo bread crumbs celebrated. Everyone is accepted for what they are. “
acceptance
He remembers that most heavyweights associate the sport with rather unpleasant memories from their school days: “At that time, because of my stature, I hesitated for a long time whether I should go to the trial training. But then I was immediately welcomed with joy, precisely because of my stature. ”
The solidarity in the club is extraordinary, says Julia Gruber. She describes it with the Hawaiian expression for family: “We are Ohana.”
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