ELF: Leipzig Kings GM & Owner Moritz Heisler shares the State of the Franchise in Q&A

| American Football | 06/30/2023

Last night, Leipzig Kings owner and general manager Moritz Heisler sat down for an hour with the ELF expert from FootBowl for a live Q&A session on Twitch.

Earlier this week, the Kings and Heisler announced that the team is in a poor financial state, casting doubt on the franchise’s long-term and short-term future.

‘The causes of our continuous, economically tense situation are manifold – starting with an extremely difficult start due to massive omissions by the previous owners of the franchise, which to this day have a massive influence on how we are perceived by many (partner) companies.”

The European League of Football quickly responded with a statement of their own, as both sides are searching for solutions.

Heisler sat down and answered several questions on the current state of the Leipzig Kings, expanding on the the “substantial debt” and the “problems with prior ownership”, as well as roster changes.

Footbowl, got right to the point asking Heisler on if the Kings could confirm that they will be able to finish the season. Heisler couldn’t confirm the short term future of the Kings. Only that they will take the field this weekend:

“We cannot confirm what will happen for the rest of the season, however, we can confirm we will play this weekend.”

Heisler also stated that there will be a press conference prior to the game, where he and the management team will answer any questions with the Kings fans. Heisler confirmed that the Leipzig roster this weekend will remain the same, and that currently the team doesn’t have plans to release players in a budget cutting move.

“The team’s roster will be the same for the game this weekend. Massive respect to the team that has stayed together throughout all the news.”

Moritz Heisler took over the Leipzig Kings in February 2022 via Leipzig Kings

The long term future of the Kings, similar to the short term currently stands in the unknown. Heisler mentioned that he and the team are speaking to several potential investors and sponsors. He admitted that many future scenarios that may not include his ownership team, although many still do.

While there has been overwhelming interest in the Kings situation, Heisler remains adamant that a financial solution has not made itself clear yet as there are several moving parts.

“Today I spoke to a firm in the US. Interest is there, but we simply need more time to build contracts and trust with potential shareholders, currently, we are constantly firefighting.”

When pressed on the exact debt that the Kings face, Heisler wouldn’t give a exact number, however hinted that the sum was not small. Admirably, Heisler made it clear he has no interest in creating some sort of crowdfunding campaign, stating that if fans wish to support the Leipzig Kings they should buy team merchandise or buy tickets to games.

“We are speaking of a sum of money that would be substantial for much larger firms. Last year, we had two large sponsors who are no longer with us.”
The tone of Leipzig’s head man was not one of an encouraged businessman. Heisler stated many times that while this is a business, he saw the Kings as a passion project and never had a plan to get rich off of the investment. He took responsibly for the current state of the team’s financial situation while giving context that the Kings had several obstacles outside of his control.

We will see if the Kings are able to finish the ELF season. Heisler commented that the number for the Kings to finish the season would be north of six figures, as they look for solutions to finish the 2023 ELF season. The Leipzig Kings play the Berlin Thunder at home this Sunday and there have been fewer than 1,000 tickets sold. Heisler ended the QA a with heartfelt statement:

“I hope the Kings can finish the season and have a successful future. The Kings will always have place in my heart.”

Watch ELF experts Alex Malchow and Sebastian Mühlenhof chat about the Leipzig Kings situation

 

Alex is a former NCAA and semi-pro American football player who is now located in London, where he works in digital marketing. His goal in writing for AFI is to stay involved with the game that has given him so much. Alex enjoys covering leagues and