The sports all-rounders

Ball or disk – it doesn’t matter!

Florian Hoppl and Manuel Trost are true all-rounders. They kick the ball for Kindberg and chase the puck for Kapfenberg. With the start of the ice hockey season, the duo have to manage a "sporting balancing act", because none of their coaches want to do without them.

Turf or ice? Every year around the same time, Manuel Trost and Florian Hoppl ask themselves the big question: both are all-round talents, playing for Kindberg in the regional soccer league, but also playing ice hockey for ÖEL champions Kapfenberg. Whose championship kicks off on Saturday in Maribor.

First things first: none of their coaches want to do without the duo! "Manuel Trost is our captain," says Kindberg coach Rene Pitter about the 26-year-old two-time goal scorer, "he's our creative brain." And 28-year-old Florian Hoppl is the top scorer with four goals: "He's a striker, always playable, two-legged, with a super shot."

Conclusion: "With 38 goals, both were instrumental in our promotion from the Oberliga," says Pitter, "and in the fact that we've picked up seven points in the last three rounds. Of course I also need them on Friday against Fürstenfeld. Sometimes they come straight from ice hockey training and then train with us, but it's agreed that they're primarily available to us in the fall. In March in the play-offs, however, ice hockey takes priority."

Looking at last year's statistics (Hoppl 44 points, Trost 19), Kapfenberg's ice hockey coach Kris Reinthaler smiles: "Both are really good all-round athletes. Flo would also be strong in tennis, but it's no longer possible at the club because he's also a father." Tiredness due to the double burden is not a big issue: "They are both technically so good that they can cope with it."

Aiming for the title again
It remains to be seen whether the kicker duo will take to the ice on Saturday (18:30) in the ÖEL opener at newcomer Maribor: "Fortunately, we got Manuel Trost's older brother Stefan, who was a physiotherapist in Graz, back from ATSE." Reinthaler's goal for the season is clear: "We don't want to be worse than last year!" And the Kangaroos haven't lost a game in 2023/24.