The images are spectacular. Between two large flamethrowers, the football players of the Augsburg Raptors run up the stairs from the cabin wing of the Augsburg Rosenau Stadium towards the field. After their promotion from the Bayernliga to the Regionalliga, the Augsburgers, who are a division of TSG Augsburg, would no longer play their home games in Lechhausen in the coming season, but would like to play them in the venerable municipal stadium on Rosenauberg.
“We have already reached our limits in top games at the TSG facility,” says department head and Raptors boss Daniel Metzler. He dreams of a fully occupied main stand (almost 3,000 seats) at the home games in the new season.
The raptor is out, long live the centurion
But one thing is noticeable during the photo shoot: the raptor, the predatory dinosaur, the Augsburg mascot is no longer visible and the football players’ outfit has also changed. The jerseys and pants are no longer black and light blue, but red-green-white. And the club logo is now a stylized Roman legionnaire’s helmet.
That of a centurion. Because the TSG footballers are no longer called Augsburger Raptors, but Augsburg Centurions. “We simply wanted to have a closer connection to Augsburg. That’s what we’ve been missing recently with the Raptors,” says the 46-year-old. Now the club colors are the same as the city colors, and the legionnaire’s helmet is a reference to the Roman past.
The Augsburg Centurions are expanding
The footballers have been working intensively on the new branding since February, and the change has now been completed in all areas. But there is another reason for the realignment: the TSG department is expanding. “The flag football players from the Augsburg Rooks have come to us and we are currently talking to the state league football players from the Augsburg Storms. They should also take part in our project,” explains Metzler. The new team name plays an important role. “Our wish is for all Augsburg clubs to unite under one roof,” says Metzler, describing the intention. “But we didn’t want anyone to have the impression that they were being swallowed. Everyone should have the opportunity to actively participate in this redesign.”
The long-term goal of the Augsburg Centurions: the GFL 1
Because Metzler and his colleagues have big plans. The third-class regional league should only be a stopover for the Bavarian champions on the way to the federal leagues of the American Football Association of Germany (AFVD), the GFL 2 and later the GFL 1. “We want to get to the GFL 2 quickly. That’s where we want to be completely stabilize and organize so that we can be suitable for the first league everywhere,” says Metzler, describing Augsburg’s ambitious path over the next few years. When it comes to sport, they leave no stone unturned after the climb.
Head coach Eugen Haaf comes from the Ingolstadt Dukes
With Eugen Haaf they have hired a head coach who knows how to get promoted. However, master coach Clinton Morris will remain with the team as one of the special coaches. The 58-year-old Haaf from Peutenhausen (near Neuburg) not only co-founded the Ingolstadt Dukes, but also led them from the bottom of the league to the GFL 1 twice. However, the Dukes had to withdraw from the top German amateur league in February due to financial problems.
Königsbrunner Ants view the Augsburg project critically
This is also why Peter Neuner, the board member of Königsbrunner Ants, the Bayern league team and local rivals from the south of Augsburg, is critical of the Augsburg project. “We’ve been playing football here for 40 years. We played in the 1st Bundesliga and, for many years, the 2nd league. This is a tough business. We also want to get back into the regional league at some point, but GFL is a different house. You should try, but I’m afraid it won’t work.”
New players from higher leagues
However, the Centurions throw themselves into the tasks at hand with a lot of euphoria. Not only the coaching area, but also the squad is being adapted to the higher requirements. Some players from higher leagues should advance the Centurions project. Sercan Vardar, Paul Ziebart and Lukas Stingl are well-known names in the football scene with an Augsburg connection. As before, there are also three or four players from North America. But this should all be approached carefully. Metzler says: “The coaches will work without pay in the coming season.”
Move to the Rosenaustadion initially only for the photo shoot
Nevertheless, Metzler and his department team have to work just as hard in preparation as their players. Sponsorship income must be increased significantly. And then there’s the matter of the Rosenau Stadium. The Augsburg sports and swimming pool office didn’t know anything about the footballers’ moving plans until Tuesday. They would certainly not be welcomed with open arms by the two previous main users, the regional football league teams FC Augsburg II and TSV Schwaben. Because they pay close attention to a well-kept lawn, which would certainly not always be treated with care by the football players.
The negotiations about a sporting use will certainly be more difficult than the Centurions’ first visit to the Rosenau Stadium. Because it’s no problem to rent the stadium from the city as a great backdrop for a photo shoot.
