SEA DEVILS RETURN TO BREMEN
The Hamburg Sea Devils will stage their first home game of the new European League of Football campaign at Bremen’s Weserstadion, marking a return to what has become a favourite haunt for the team.
The opposition for the game on Saturday 31st May should help boost what is already expected to be a large turnout, as 2024 frontrunners Stuttgart Surge come to town for a first-ever meeting with the Sea Devils following another divisional reshuffle over the offseason.
“This is an absolute first in the ELF — this matchup has never happened before,” Hamburg GM Mark Weitz confirmed, before revealing that the home team is excited about the Saturday evening kickoff, which will allow ample time to lay on a ‘Power Party’ for fans, with food, music, cheerleader displays, football drills and partner booths all in the works.
Hamburg finished with a disappointing 2-10 record last year — a far cry from their rival’s 11-1 mark which proved good enough to win the Central Conference — but head coach Shuan Fatah is confident that the work done over the winter has his side in a good place to start the 2025 campaign.
“Of course, I would prefer the 2021 Surge team,” he joked, recalling the dire early Stuttgart teams, “but we’re looking forward to the challenge. Stuttgart is a title contender, but we’re prepared to be a tough opponent. We have a new structure, more preparation time and a hard-working team. For us, hard work means commitment, heart and willingness — things you can’t coach.”
Weitz emphasised the importance of Bremen as a location, the Sea Devils having enjoyed their previous visits to the Weserstadion.
“We received a very warm welcome here last year, from the city, the stadium and the fans,” he noted. “Bremen is a football-loving city with a broad range of teams and fans. It’s simply a great stage for football in northern Germany.
“We currently don’t have a suitable alternative to the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, so we’re happy about the infrastructure in Bremen. We don’t want to do a whole northern tour like last year, but a game outside of Hamburg like this one is definitely conceivable.”
Despite the rest of the team’s home games taking place in Hamburg itself, Sea Devils captain Levi Kruse expects the Weserstadion to energise his team-mates.
“We have many new, hungry, players who are eager to play successful football,” he commented. “We also have six to seven players from the Bremen region in the squad, so that makes the game here special for many. The atmosphere at the Weserstadion with over 13,000 fans last year was a highlight but, this year, we want to go one better.”