Frankfurt Galaxy: No life in the poorly managed team

Das finale Resultat von Frankfurt Galaxy passte ins Bild dieser mangelhaften Spielzeit: Ihre abschließende Begegnung zu Hause gegen die Paris Musketeers verloren die Frankfurter 10:44. Mit vier Siegen und acht Niederlagen war die vierte Saison in der European League of Football (ELF) die mit Abstand schlechteste für das hessische Franchise. Die Play-offs hatte der Champion von 2021 schon einmal verpasst. Ein negatives Verhältnis von Siegen zu Niederlagen kannten sie in Frankfurt bislang aber nicht. Kein Wunder, dass jetzt vieles auf dem Prüfstand steht.

Am Montag war Cheftrainer Thomas Kösling bei einem Polizei-Lehrgang. Der 41-Jährige ist hauptberuflich Polizeibeamter. Nicht das Kösling Football nur nebenher macht. Den größten Teil seiner freien Zeit steckt er in den Sport. Aber bislang muss er beides miteinander verbinden. Die Viertagewoche im Polizeibüro, die den Lebensunterhalt finanziert und die eine Beamtenpension bedeutet. Und die Siebentagewoche als Trainer einer semiprofessionellen Mannschaft. Kösling wäre gern nur Trainer, aber solange das finanziell nicht auskömmlich ist, wird er zwei Jobs ausüben müssen.

Mit hochkarätigen Spielern verstärkt und mit dem Ziel, das Finale der ELF am 22. September in der Arena auf Schalke zu erreichen, war Galaxy in die Saison gegangen. Doch auf dem Feld scheiterte die Mannschaft grandios an ihren eigenen Erwartungen. Der Misserfolg in einer immer stärker werdenden Liga hat auch damit zu tun, dass Galaxys Strukturen im Vergleich zur Konkurrenz nicht professionell genug sind.

Das zeigt sich am Verhältnis von Kösling zu seinem Offensivkoordinator Frank Roser. Wegen seiner Arbeit bei der Polizei zeitlich eingeschränkt, muss Kösling ihm Freiraum in der Trainingsgestaltung oder bei der Auswahl der Spielzüge lassen. Kösling, der ein Kontrollliebhaber ist, widerstrebt das.

„Ich glaube schon, dass ein Headcoach mehr Einfluss haben muss“, sagt er der F.A.Z.. Gern hätte er „ein Auge darauf, ob das, was besprochen wurde, umgesetzt wird“. Aktuell verlasse er sich meist nur darauf.

But Kösling is not just the head coach. As defensive coordinator, he is also responsible for the group of defenders. His dual role has become a problem. Not only has Roser's offense not kept its promise. Kösling's defense also remained far below its level.

And as head coach, it would have been his job above all to keep the team together. However, with his focus on his work as defensive coordinator, individual discussions with players were neglected. Kösling admits that he lacked “the vision for the team”. He noticed too late that some players were dissatisfied and how little they trusted the new offensive game idea.

This had devastating consequences. The squad of more than 50 men never became a team. “We were more individual players than we grew together as a team,” says Kösling. He realized how little resilience the group had in week seven during the game in Madrid. The league newcomer Galaxy showed up at 15:46. In the dressing room, the players simply accepted this. “Is the team even alive?” he asked himself. And ultimately came to the answer: it wasn't alive.

Since the coaching team was unable to get the situation under control, changes now seem inevitable. Talks with the franchise owners are scheduled for the next few days. Kösling and Roser will have to answer uncomfortable questions. It is unlikely that Roser will stay in Frankfurt. The league is clearly moving towards American coaches, they have the most expertise. Kösling will probably remain head coach, and managing director Eric Reutemann told the FAZ at the end of July: “It would be cheeky to fire Coach Kösling.”

However, he will have to hand over responsibility for the defense to someone else. He would then have more time to deal with the bigger picture. The development will also have to move towards Galaxy employing its coaches full-time. At Rhein Fire, but also in Madrid, Paris, Stuttgart and Vienna, the leading franchises in the league, the coaches all work full-time and are therefore busy with the sport around the clock.

Galaxy will also create a new position to further professionalize itself. The franchise has not yet made this public. An American football expert will lead the coaching staff in a senior role in the coming season. He is said to be a former player from the NFL, the best league in the world.

In Frankfurt, he will likely take on the role of a performance manager, as has been the case in professional football for several years. The person is supposed to ensure quality standards so that Galaxy does not go into a season with high expectations again – and end up failing miserably.