Sports podcast “Gemma!”: Christine and the strong men (and women!)
Christine Gappmayer, as chairwoman of the Salzburg soccer player, is the strong woman behind the strong men. But not only, die Salzburg ducks also have a women’s team. In any case, one thing can be said with justification: When the state capital is busy, it is right in the middle.
SALZBURG. Salzburg’s footballers repositioned themselves under their leadership during the Corona period and merged the Salzburg Bulls and Salzburg Ducks clubs. Under the name “Salzburg Football Team” provides the fusion team, which causes a stir in the second division. The team reached the final unbeaten, defeated the Vienna Vikings II there and will compete in the Austrian Football League, the top division, next season.
In the Bezirksblätter sports podcast “Gemma!” We not only dare a first look with Christine Gappmayer at the coming season in the AFL, but also clarify whether she can still sleep soundly with all the tasks related to her club.
Exciting league development
The Austrian Football League is one of the strongest leagues in Europe. Many newcomers have found it very difficult to establish themselves in recent years. The last Salzburg AFL adventure was not crowned with success either. After two seasons without a win, the Salzburg Bulls start their way to the second division. But something is moving in the domestic league that could shake things up a bit. The top teams Vienna Vikings and Raiders Tirol are flirting with a change in the newly founded European League of Football (ELF). They would leave their secondary representations in Austria. That would of course make things easier for Salzburg.
It’s not the worst start now. But I think that will all be put into perspective in the next few years.
Christine Gappmayer on the ELF ambitions of Vikings and Raiders
Professional coaches
Nothing is left to chance when it comes to coaching in Salzburg. Head coach Nick Johansen has already worked at the AFL level in Graz and Innsbruck. He knows his Defense Coordinator Rick Rhoades from his time as head coach of the Wroclaw Panther. Rhoades can safely be called a coaching legend. He won the title in the USA and Europe and led the domestic national team to European Championship silver and seventh place at the World Cup.
Gappmayer trusts her coaches, she wants to interfere as little as possible in sporting matters. Not even with the reinforcements from the USA. When it comes to human qualities, however, she will take great care not to commit any player with starry flair.
“Our coaches judge whether a player is a good fit for us. That his character suits us is a requirement. “
Is your own sports facility coming?
Ducks chairwoman Christine Gappmayer also takes a position on the long project of an own sports facility for training and competitions. The ducks have over 300 players who need their own home, the current situation is unsatisfied. “We were a traveling circus for many years,” said Gappmayer. “Now it is planned that a small, fine venue will be built at the former Bulls Field.” There are positive signals from politics, but everything is still in the planning stage. The entire project will “definitely take two, three, four years”, says Gappmayer.
Sports podcast “Gemma!”
The sports podcast of the Bezirksblätter Salzburg appears every two weeks on Sundays at 12 noon. In the first episode, the football star and current coach of SV Grödig, Heimo Pfeifenberger, was a guest.
You can find more podcasts from Bezirksblätter Salzburg here.