Credit: Dudelange Steelers
In the latest in a series of articles about sports clubs in Luxembourg, Chronicle.lu had the opportunity to speak with Patrick Klein, President, former player and coach of the American football club Dudelange Steelers.
The focus of this series is on sports which are less often covered in the news, yet have strong links with the international community in the Grand Duchy. Some are already well-established; others are relatively new.
Chronicle.lu: Why and when was your sports club established?
Patrick Klein: The club was founded in 1993 as the Dudelange Dragons by some guys from Dudelange to promote the sport in the south of Luxembourg.
Chronicle.lu: What are some of the links your club has with the international community in Luxembourg?
Patrick Klein: We have a good relationship with the US Embassy in Luxembourg!
Chronicle.lu: What activities, coaching and training programmes, etc. does your club offer and who is your main target audience or age group? Do you offer different levels for beginners and experienced athletes?
Patrick Klein: We have a tackle senior team, from the age of nineteen onwards, a tackle junior team, from the age of fifteen to nineteen years old. We have a flag football team (without contact), from fifteen years old (mixed). Our goal is to open a kids' section in flag football for the ages of ten to fifteen soon! Flag football will [feature in the] Olympic Games for the first time in Paris 2024.
We need all kinds of body types for every age! We need young players, aged fifteen and older. We need big guys for the new season and girls and boys for our mixed flag team.
Chronicle.lu: What are your club's main goals and objectives, both in terms of sports and community involvement?
Patrick Klein: Our main goal for the tackle team is to play a good season after we won the championship last year and climbed to a higher division. To promote the flag football team and to start a new section in flag football! U15 and U13, from ten to fifteen years old. We also need coaches for all sections and referees. We [will] also start a volunteer recruitment campaign.
Chronicle.lu: How has this sport grown in Luxembourg over the years?
Patrick Klein: It's still difficult in Luxembourg, but we are still in business after 30 years! A new team was [founded] two years ago in Rédange - The Raptors. That's good for the sport in Luxembourg! Another team in the north would be great. With German TV showing more and more football on TV and with the NFL international games in London, Munich and Frankfurt, the sport is becoming more popular! We just need those guys who watch the sport on TV on the field. Flag football is now Olympic in 2024, [which] is a great thing and we hope that we can recruit boys and girls for the section without contact.
Chronicle.lu: What are some of the benefits of playing this particular sport?
Patrick Klein: The atmosphere, teambuilding, family spirit in this sport is different [from] other sports! And it's not only a contact sport [...] A perfect football player is an athlete with a high football IQ.
Chronicle.lu: What events, tournaments or competitions is your club participating in or hosting in the new year (2024)?
Patrick Klein: As we were champions in last year's German sixth league, we will climb to a higher division. It's not [certain] if we will go to the fifth or directly to the fourth division because we were so dominant last season! This decision will be taken by the German league in the next weeks.
Our flag football team will also participate in the Regional Liga in Germany next year. We will have training camps and some friendly games before the season starts in April. As every year, we will have our international Steel Bowl with teams from four different countries in October 2024.
Chronicle.lu: How can someone interested in joining your club become a member? Are there any membership fees or other requirements?
Patrick Klein: You will find the first steps to join on our website www.steelers.lu or [you can] simply join a practice on the field. Tackle [practice is on] Wednesday and Friday from 19:00 to 21:00, flag football Mondays and Fridays from 19:00 to 21:00. There is no requirement needed for the first steps, but if someone wants to join for good, he needs to pass the medical check at the Médico-sportif centre for all sports in Luxembourg.
Patrick Klein, President, former player and coach of the American football club Dudelange Steelers
