soccer - The Icon League of Toni Kroos and Elias Nerlich is starting soon
In Germany, the next Kleinfeld-League is set to begin. The Icon League, spearheaded by ex-National player Toni Kroos and streamer Elias Nerlich, is scheduled to start at the beginning of September. "There has been a lot of work involved in developing the Icon League in the past few months, but I'm excited to show everyone what we've created," said Kroos. The 34-year-old ended his successful football career in early July following Germany's elimination from the European Championship against Spain in the quarterfinals.
Hype around Small-Sided Leagues
The teams in the Icon League are led by well-known footballers such as Antonio Rudiger and Robert Andrich, as well as other celebrities like rapper Luciano or ski athlete Ski Aggu.
The hype around small-sided leagues in Germany began at the start of the year with the Baller League, founded by former national players Lukas Podolski and Mats Hummels. The first season of the Baller League reportedly reached around three million live views per match day on Twitch and over 450,000 live viewers in the stream.
The first major event of the Icon League, the Draft Day, starts on July 28th at the Berliner Admiralspalast. The first match day will take place on September 1st at the Cologne Lanxess Arena. In the regular season, the teams play every Monday at the Düsseldorf Castello, a multi-purpose and event hall.
13 teams announced
"We passionately and fiercely discussed the planning of the Icon League," says Nerlich about the planning process. "We challenged each other to create something really exciting." Officially founded at the end of 2023, 13 teams have been announced so far, with one more to come. Among the team captains are hockey star Leon Draisaitl and Claudio Pizarro (Players United), Felix Kroos and Andrich (Two Stripes United), Luciano and Rudiger (Berlin City FC), as well as Ski Aggu and Fabian Reese (Berlin Underdogs).
- Robert Andrich, a renowned footballer, is part of the teams in the Icon League, along with stars like Antonio Rüdiger and rapper Luciano.
- The Icon League, led by Toni Kroos and streamer Elias Nerlich, is set to begin in Spain, following the success of the Baller League in Germany.
- The hype around small-sided leagues like the Icon League is evident on the Internet, with the Baller League reporting over three million live views per match day on Twitch.
- The first major event of the Icon League, the Draft Day, will take place in Berlin, with the first match day scheduled for Cologne's Lanxess Arena, and regular season games held at Düsseldorf's Castello.
- In addition to Toni Kroos and Elias Nerlich, well-known figures in the Icon League include hockey star Leon Draisaitl and former footballer Claudio Pizarro.
- The Icon League, which includes teams like Two Stripes United (led by Felix Kroos and Robert Andrich), and Berlin City FC (led by Antonio Rüdiger and Luciano), has announced 13 teams so far, with one more to be revealed.
