"Krone" championship series

“We are getting better and better”

Mittersill's footballers stormed to the title and thus into the 1st national league.(Bild: SC Mittersill/Zeljko Brcina)

Mittersill stormed to the title in the 2nd Landesliga Süd. The runaway winners had an eleven-point lead at the end. Named "Team of the Year", the big award ceremony will take place today, Monday, at the traditional Casino Gala for our lower division footballers.

You can't get any better than this! As the celebrated champions of the 1st Division South 2023, SC Mittersill have now also roared to the championship title in the 2nd Division South and thus fully into the 1st Division.

"It went really well from the start and then we got better and better," is how Robert Steger describes the season - with the head-to-head duel with Maria Alm in the fall, but an eleven-point lead at the end.

The Pinzgau section manager remembers: "In the late 90s - back then with Harry Schneider - we were also promoted twice in a row." An important constant in the success formula for Steger this time: "The experienced players, led by the Viertler brothers, Serkan Durmus and Dominik Schneider. The youngsters have played their part and made great progress under the coaching team." They are also very proud "that no non-Mittersill player has been in the team in the last two years."

Also on the agenda for the Pinzgau team: the championship vacation in Lignano.(Bild: SC Mittersill)

Great fun: a day of skiing with a stop-off at the Sonnalm.(Bild: SC Mittersill)

Serkan Durmus with Lejla and daughter Inaya - one of three babies in spring.(Bild: SC Mittersill)

Despite the successes after the season, there was a need for action in the coaching sector, as Bernhard Hanser left for Bramberg, where he will continue to call the shots at the Salzburg League club from 2014 to '17. Time was running out in Mittersill before the start of training on Friday. The solution for the time being until winter: Dominik Schneider, also sporting director, steps in as player-coach, supported by previous "co" Christoph Lemberger.

Captain's armband handed over
"So we know the people involved, but we would have preferred an external solution," admits Manuel Empl, who is approaching the final year of his career and is therefore already handing over the captain's armband to Josef Viertler. His summary of the champions: "The last two seasons, starting with the coach, everything came together. A little bit of luck was also involved. And we were very hard-working and trained a lot."

A miserable journey home
They also did a lot together off the pitch. Like a day of skiing or a vacation in Lignano with a long journey home. At least for the quintet traveling in goalie Berni Wallner's Tesla. "Getting lost twice, three stops at charging stations - that added up to a good eight hours," smiles Empl.

Everything has gone really well over the last two seasons, starting with the coach. A little bit of luck was also involved.

Mittersills Meister-Kapitän Manuel Empl

The journey today will certainly be quicker. When Mittersill's champions, named Team of the Year by the "Salzburg-Krone", take center stage at the traditional, large casino gala in Salzburg-Kleßheim with many other lower division footballers.