‘HEAVY HEART’ AS NEUMAN BIDS FAREWELL TO STUTTGART
As expected following the day’s earlier revelation that parent company American Football Club Stuttgart GmbH was filing for bankruptcy, Stuttgart Surge head coach Jordan Neuman is now a free agent.
Equally as expected, he is a downcast free agent, having had to say goodbye to the club he led to the 2025 European League of Football championship just ten weeks ago. The split is clearly not of Neuman’s making, but brings to an end a successful relationship whilst highlighting the precipice upon which professional football on the continent currently finds itself.
Neuman had been the Surge’s head coach since 2023, and shaped the franchise like no other before him. What was intended as a long-term, sustainable project, however, has now come to a sudden, and early, end. From Neuman’s perspective, the past three years were just the beginning of a journey he wanted to continue in Stuttgart for many years to come, especially with that first championship ring on his finger.
As he realigned and profoundly changed the entire Surge franchise from cellar dweller to perennial contender, he guided the team through a challenging period and into a new era, establishing a clear identity and forming a performance-oriented, professional culture. He brought his authentic, determined, and motivating nature to bear on a daily basis, and inspired not only the team but also the fans, partners, and an entire region as Stuttgart rose to contend with the top programmes in European football, becoming the 2023 ELF runner-up and, finally, the overall champion.
“It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to Stuttgart and the Surge,” Neuman admitted in an official statement issued by the club. “I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to lead this franchise for the last three years, and I want to thank the Surge fans for making this journey such a unique and unforgettable experience.
“What I will miss most is being part of such a special group of coaches, players and staff. It is because of these relationships that we were able to build a strong culture here in Stuttgart — one that prepared us to face any challenge together. When many of us arrived in October 2022 — especially Coach Brenner, Coach Pastorino and myself — we believed we could create something special.
“And no doubt, while winning the ELF Championship at home was a remarkable moment, as I leave, I realise that the truly special achievement was assembling such an incredible group of people and cultivating an environment of genuine love and appreciation for each other. To quote our QB, ‘It’s not just about the chase, but who you chase it with’ — and I am so thankful for the people I ran with. Because of the work of so many, we walk away as champions. I will miss you all!”
The collapse of the Surge has been blamed on the inability of the teams that broke away from the ELF to finalise details of a rival league for 2026. With that uncertainty, those behind the Stuttgart franchise admitted that it had been hard to find the finance to continue into another season as they were unable to offer any guarantees to potential investors. The European Football Alliance continues to wrangle over financing models for the entire organisation, with five teams — including Stuttgart — having split away from the remaining seven (a number including nascent franchises in Milan and London) in their pursuit of outside investment for the league as a whole. Today’s course of action leaves just Rhein, Wroclaw, Berlin and Vienna on that side of the divide.