Initial Reflections on Our New (Mis)adventure!

I jump on a jet to get back home to the US.  The rest of the coaches stay behind and tour Luzern and potential apartment possibilities (good luck with that – because they are extremely limited).

Norm and his family rent a car and begin to see the sights of Switzerland!

After leaving Zurich for home I realized that this new (mis)adventure would be a little more serious and complicated within the European League of Football (ELF).  I’ve watched the games and this is a serious league with the best players throughout the continent.

We now have a lot more people who are involved and especially on the coaching staff these are pretty high-level guys.  People who have all contributed to successful teams and franchises by designing offensive plays, defensive schemes.

This franchise building is going to be very challenging because there are so many unknowns.

For instance …. to this point we have no extended visas for US coaches and the four A-tag players (trust me this will be an issue, having gone through it before in Switzerland), no housing secured (I repeat this will be a lot harder than our management team thinks), No practice facility, no video equipment, no stadium (well, that’s a problem)!

Then let’s look at the very shaky front office set up.  I love the guys … but, they have no idea how this will work out.  Really inexperienced … not their fault obviously.  But, they will have to learn fast!

I keep hearing the word “professionalism” … let’s hope we can find it.

Oh yeah, most importantly … well we still haven’t signed our roster for the first version of the Helvetic Guards!

I furnished them with a list of things they should look at.  Ideas that we had put together as a coaching staff. Just common situations then would have to face.

Months later … many of these things had not even been addressed.  It’s like they lost those vital points.

Our management is young and full of energy.   But, they will have to learn fast because there are a lot of things to get done before we can even start practicing.  Obviously, the experience of the coaching staff will be invaluable … but at some point they will have to carry the load.

It will be challenging … but all good things are difficult to attain!

Well, no one said it would be easy … and no one said this would be fair.