Vikings in Wr.Neustadt

Home premiere for coach! Return to the roots

The Vienna Vikings play their first home game in the European League of Football (ELF) in Wr. Neustadt on Saturday (18) against the Wroclaw Panthers (Poland). New territory for almost everyone at the Viennese franchise. Except for Christoph Putz, the coach of the purple defensive backs.

"I went to sports secondary school here and started playing football here in 1999 with the then Stonefield Bulldogs," says the likeable coach. His day job is as a biology teacher at the Vienna Ball Sports High School. And is also closely connected to football off the pitch. His wife Lisa was once a player herself in the Vikings' women's team.

Putz and his colleagues on the coaching staff are currently facing major challenges. With crowd favorite Exavier Edwards and Hunter Nicols, two import players among the defensive backs are missing. Edwards will be out for around three weeks with a calf ligament injury, while Nicols' season is over after shoulder surgery. "Of course, you don't replace players like that easily. But we have - and this is probably what sets us apart from all the other franchises in the ELF - a very high density of national players, because we have trained them very well over a long period of time."

With a quarter of a century of football experience and the resilience of a father of two sons, Christoph and the other coaches are sure to have put together a game plan that will give the Panthers from Wrocalw a run for their money.

To secure their sixth win in six games, "we'll have to take the bus to the home game this time as we usually do for away games," smiles Putz. Like everyone involved, he is already excited to see what the atmosphere will be like in Wr. Neustadt: "Our fans can be really loud. That helps us, no matter where we play."