Tryouts for German national team a huge success

For the first time since 2017, the American Football Federation of Germany, AFVD, is assembling a national team and if the recent tryouts held are any indication, there is plenty of interest.

A total of 230 athletes from 54 different teams showed up at the two tryout camps held and Team Germany head coach Jordan Neuman admits he and his staff were busy but also impressed:

“We saw a lot of talent,” he said going on to describe the atmosphere and aim of the two camps, held in Braunschweig and Schwäbisch Hall. “The safety and health of the players was our top priority, and I was very happy to see that on the one hand we were doing a very good job and at the same time were able to control the pace of the drills so that the players were protected at all times. The intensity at both camps was incredibly high due to the disciplined work of everyone – players, coaches and staff – and we had a consistently positive mood during the testing and drills. That showed us that, no matter who we select, we will bring together a great team.”

The first camp was held in Braunschweig to cover northern Germany while a week later the second one was held in Schwäbisch Hall in the south. According to the Jean-Marc Tappy, Director of the National Teams in Germany, the plan to split the tryouts into two camps, paid off:

“We gave everyone the opportunity to show themselves to the coaches without having to travel too far, which could possibly affect their performance. In addition, due to the dual camps, everyone was given the chance to register at one camp at least if there were scheduling conflicts for the other camp. This also guaranteed that we would achieve the highest possible level of scouting.”

According to Neuman, both the teams and coaches were asked to submit names of players to be invited to the tryout camps and that also proved to be a successful move:

“I promised when I took office that we would want to involve the team coaches more. We also implemented that for the scouting camps and thus had many players at the camps who might not have been here on their own but who showed that they have a lot of potential. We will continue with this approach and, together with the coaches of their teams, help the athletes to reach the next level. “

Neuman and the coaches now have the task of studying the results and videos to whittle the number down to a 45-man roster:

“In the end, there will only be 45 players on the squad, but we will keep an eye on many more players, follow their development and let them participate in other activities so that they have a chance of becoming part of the team”

 The athletes’ desire to play for the German national team was obvious but their commitment to take responsibility for the general health situation in Germany was also apparent by the fact that the group had a 97% COVID-19 vaccination rate.