German Football League aiming to make a decision around April 15

The American Football Federation of Germany, AFVD (American Football Verband Deutschland), the largest American football federation in Europe, has pushed forward the date for making a decision on whether to play football in 2020 due to the coronavirus to roughly April 15.

Carsten Dalkowski, Chairman of the German Football League:

“Everything is shut down in Germany until the 19th of April. We expecting a decision from the government after Easter. The GFL is scheduled to start on the last weekend of May as things stand now. Lower leagues may start earlier. Or later. This will depend on the German government and health authorities. We will make a decision around April 15.”

The AFVD had suspended all activities until April 17 and even though the German Football League is not scheduled to start until April 25, with all practices, scrimmages, preseason games put on hold for another three weeks, teams would need five weeks to prepare for a league start.

Apparently, several scenarios are under discussion including a shortened season, playing in front of empty stands and even cancelling the season outright.

Current coronavirus situation in Germany

As of April 2, the number of coronavirus cases in Germany stood at 84,794 with 1,107 deaths, meaning the death toll has more than tripled in a week.

The AFVD is the largest American football federation in Europe with more than 54,000 players and over 450 clubs.