Latest news with #Maierhofer


Scottish Sun
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Beanpole ex-Premier League striker, 42, comes out of retirement for shock sport switch to Vikings American football team
The ex-Prem ace has trained with a former NFL player HE'S BACK Beanpole ex-Premier League striker, 42, comes out of retirement for shock sport switch to Vikings American football team Former Premier League striker Stefan Maierhofer has swapped goals for gridirons ... by becoming an American football star. The 6ft 7ins Austria international had a top-flight spell with Wolves, scoring once in 10 games before leaving in 2011. 2 Ex-Premier League ace Stefan Maierhofer has crossed over to American football 2 Maierhofer played for the likes of Wolves, Bayern Munich and Millwall He joined Bristol City on loan in 2010, and four years later had a brief stint with their Championship rivals Millwall. Former Bayern Munich youngster Maierhofer has also played for a host of German, Austrian and Slovak clubs. But the 42-year-old has now switched sports by joining the Vienna Vikings American football club. They compete in the European League of Football, and won the title in 2022. Maierhofer said: "I'm making my sporting comeback as a kicker in American football, and I'm going to play for Vienna Vikings in 2025. "From my first minute at the club I was clear in my mind that I wanted to join them. Everyone from the owner down to the equipment manager speaks with one voice. "Everything is all about success and respect, and that impressed me. I trained with the former NFL kicker, Giorgio Tavecchio, and worked on perfecting my technique. "I want to reach the 2025 final with the Vikings, and play in front of 50,000 American football fans." CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Vikings head coach Chris Calaycay said: "Stefan is a very tall man, extremely popular, and with a unique body language. "The transition from kicking a soccer ball to kicking a football is tough, but he is going tremendously well." Patrick Mahomes says 'cut the cameras' in emotional locker room scenes as new K ansas City Chiefs doc trailer is released Club owner Robin Lumsden added: "A number of prominent footballers wanted to play for us, and many found the trials difficult. "But it became clear very quickly that Stefan was the right man for us. He embodies our fighting mentality - he is highly professional and competitive."


The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Beanpole ex-Premier League striker, 42, comes out of retirement for shock sport switch to Vikings American football team
Former Premier League striker Stefan Maierhofer has swapped goals for gridirons ... by becoming an American football star. The 6ft 7ins Advertisement 2 Ex-Premier League ace Stefan Maierhofer has crossed over to American football 2 Maierhofer played for the likes of Wolves, Bayern Munich and Millwall He joined Bristol City on loan in 2010, and four years later had a brief stint with their Championship rivals Former But the 42-year-old has now switched sports by joining the Vienna Vikings American football club. They compete in the European League of Football, and won the title in 2022. Advertisement Read More on Football Maierhofer said: "I'm making my sporting comeback as a kicker in American football, and I'm going to play for Vienna Vikings in 2025. "From my first minute at the club I was clear in my mind that I wanted to join them. Everyone from the owner down to the equipment manager speaks with one voice. "Everything is all about success and respect, and that impressed me. I trained with the former NFL kicker, Giorgio Tavecchio, and worked on perfecting my technique. "I want to reach the 2025 final with the Vikings, and play in front of 50,000 American football fans." Advertisement Most read in Football Latest CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Vikings head coach Chris Calaycay said: "Stefan is a very tall man, extremely popular, and with a unique body language. "The transition from kicking a soccer ball to kicking a football is tough, but he is going tremendously well." Patrick Mahomes says 'cut the cameras' in emotional locker room scenes as new K ansas City Chiefs doc trailer is released Club owner Robin Lumsden added: "A number of prominent footballers wanted to play for us, and many found the trials difficult. Advertisement "But it became clear very quickly that Stefan was the right man for us. He embodies our fighting mentality - he is highly professional and competitive."


Boston Globe
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Gabbie Izzo has taken the long and winding road to get from Brighton to TD Garden for World Figure Skating Championships
And she's loving it. 'When I first went out for the tryout [last summer], I wasn't sure, really, what I wanted to do — it was obviously a big decision,' said Izzo, who had retired from pairs skating in November of 2023 after partnering with Canadian Thierry Ferland briefly. 'There are a lot of emotions that come with skating, and it can be hard to continue when sometimes you find yourself lacking motivation. But then when I just from the very first week that I started skating with Maierhofer last July, I was like, 'Oh, this is something I want to do again' – I felt that passion again.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Gaining dual citizenship may or may not happen. Advertisement 'It's a work in progress, obviously the stronger results we show, the stronger our case is, so we'll just keep working for it,' said Izzo, who grew up in Brighton, graduated from Boston Latin School and is close to graduating with a pre-law major from Harvard. 'Wherever it takes us, it takes us.' A former singles skater standout who trained and still skates at The Skating Club of Boston — she finished fourth at the 2022 US National Championships, and was the US junior champion in 2019 — Izzo's biggest role change came when she switched from singles to pairs in March 2023. Gabbie Izzo of Brighton was the US junior champion in 2019. She hasn't turned back since. 'At least towards the end of my singles career — obviously, it's not that I reached the pinnacle of, there was some more — but to just reach a point where for me, I was like, 'OK, I've kind of lost the compassion for just going around and jumping,' ' said Izzo. In pairs, 'for me, it was almost like learning a whole new sport, and how to deal with somebody and their mindset, their emotions, how they work, and trying to make it work.' Advertisement She and Maierhofer finished second at this year's Austria's national championship, sixth at the Challenge Cup in The Netherlands, and third at the Merano Ice Trophy event in Italy. She splits time between Salzburg and Boston, where she is roommates with skaters Spencer Howe, who she is dating, and Maxim Naumov, the son of January plane crash victims and The Skating Club of Boston coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova. Before Izzo and Maierhofer skated, the tribute to the plane crash victims took place on the Garden ice. 'For me it was really special — Boston is my home and I was sitting in the locker room and hearing the remembrance, they were people I know and knew,' said Izzo. 'I looked out and saw Maxim who smiled right at me right before I went. It's a lot of emotions.' As much as the circumstances of her career have been in almost constant motion, the roots she has in Boston and at The Skating Club of Boston remain, no matter the tragic circumstances from the beginning of the year. 'It's something we're all still dealing with and we still feel,' said Izzo. 'We go to the rink and we see their chairs, and we see stuff like that. It's difficult, of course, because life does go on, as hard as it is, but you hold them with you. 'I was out there and I was skating, and like I said, I saw Max right before I went, and I had seen other people earlier today. And it's hard to put into words the emotions.' Advertisement In their program, Izzo and Maierhofer scored a total of 48.20 points, which placed them last among the 23 pairs. Only the top 20 qualified for Thursday night's free skate. Michael Silverman can be reached at