WC: 2021 Germany Roster Talk

[Chapin Landvogt]

Or maybe let me phrase it this way: I think that there are more hardcore hockey fans here, however the general public is more knowledgeable about Handball and interested in the big events.

This I can really buy into.

For example in 2007 when Germany played the final of the World Cup in Cologne, the game had a market share of 58%. Over 16 Million people watched the game.
The Olympic final was at 5am here so its hard to compare raw numbers, but it had a market share of 51% with 3 Million viewers.

And yes pretty much every game of the handball national team gets shown on ZDF or ARD. Thats just another example of why Handball is the bigger sport in Germany. Hockey is getting bigger and bigger, but it's not on the same level as Handball quite yet. At least not in west germany

I guess I would amend my statement about ice hockey being the second most popular team sport in Germany after soccer to it being Germany's second most popular team sport "at the professional level", even in light of your statement on the HBL being the best pro handball league whatsoever. For me, having a third pro league outfit as widespread as the Oberliga Nord and Süd as well as having attendance numbers in places like Berlin, Mannheim, and sometimes Cologne that the other team sports just do not reach, really speaks volumes.

By the way, what do the best handballers earn per year in the HBL? And how about in the 2. HBL?

And is it commonplace for them to register as "Unemployed" during the offseason?

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

If you just want to understand what you want to understand? It is absolutely clear that the wretchedness of German ice hockey depends on the national team. It has always been like that

I dunno.

I've been in Germany since the national team was playing in the netherregions of the IIHF system, when Canadians playing in the 2. Bundesliga were naturalized to be the national team's first liners.

That never really stopped people from attending DEL games.

And the lower league teams have their very specific cult followings anyways.

I understand what you're getting at, but check out my last post to see that I've amended my statement.

Because when I talk to fans from other countries about hockey's popularity here as a team sport ranking 2nd to soccer, we're keying in on the professional level and the financial interest invested in the sport as well as its depth of pro interest achieved throughout the country.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

Gotta think it's mighty tough to beat Canada twice in one tournament.

 

[Eisen]

One of the biggest criticisms of the PowerPlay26 program is that its requirements for getting the funding allotted through the 5-star program are so difficult and costly to meet, that plenty of programs just can't participate. And then they're shut out of certain leagues as well, even if they qualify from a sporting standpoint. We're talking about amount of ice times appropriated for every age group, how many licensed coaches are on the ice with the kids at any given time, that the coaches write down their entire practice plan and submit it, etc.

That then leads to a precious few mega clubs getting ALL the top talent by the time the kids are 16.

But then those kids are all getting the same level of high paced development.

See how that works?

Yup, I know that this is a problem.

 

[Eisen]

Seeing as you're posting from Düsseldorf, I'd DEFINITELY recommend checking out a game in Herne.

A few years back, there was some pretty solid Oberliga hockey in Duisburg and Essen, but they'd had their financial problems and have dropped down.

Nowadays, even Hamm has a team and the juniors club from Krefeld is a very interesting project worth checking out.

If you're the travelling type, a weekend seeing the Indians and Scorpions in Hannover is worth the trip and Tilburg, Holland has been a class act in the league for 5 or 6 years now. Seems like more than half of Holland's national team plays for them.

And that's just the Oberliga Nord...

I saw plenty of the Scorpions Duisburg when they were still in the DEL^^. Will check out a game in Hamm, Herne, and probably Tilburg. We go to the Netherlands for groceries all the time. I was hoping for streams, though. Thanks.

 

[Daeni10]

This I can really buy into.



I guess I would amend my statement about ice hockey being the second most popular team sport in Germany after soccer to it being Germany's second most popular team sport "at the professional level", even in light of your statement on the HBL being the best pro handball league whatsoever. For me, having a third pro league outfit as widespread as the Oberliga Nord and Süd as well as having attendance numbers in places like Berlin, Mannheim, and sometimes Cologne that the other team sports just do not reach, really speaks volumes.

By the way, what do the best handballers earn per year in the HBL? And how about in the 2. HBL?

And is it commonplace for them to register as "Unemployed" during the offseason?

That is a fair statement if you exclude the national teams.

I think the players in the german national handball team have a base salary of around 350-500k a year, no idea about the 2nd league. As far as I know they have contracts that run through the whole year so they dont have to do that.


Also as someone who was a season ticket holder for the team in Cologne, we definitly reach the same if not better numbers Berlin and Mannheim do if the team doesn't suck completely

 

[ORRFForever]

LOVE seeing Germany getting better every year.
Good luck. Hope you medal.

 

[fico]

The Hockey News published an article on Team Germany.

Germany Has Arrived on The International Scene