Twitch-streamer Gamerbrother spoke in the podcast “Henke’s Corner” about the German small-sided football leagues Baller, King’s, and Icon League. Especially regarding the Baller League, the manager of VfR Zimbos praises the increase in football quality.
What is the Baller League? Founded in 2024 by Mats Hummels, Lukas Podolski, and German streamers, the indoor football league already has three seasons. Played in a 6 vs. 6 format with two halves of 15 minutes each – twelve teams compete against each other, and they are always led by celebrities or well-known streamers.
The streamer Gamerbrother has been a manager of VfR Zimbos since the league’s launch and emphasizes in the latest episode of the podcast “Henke’s Corner” the significant increase in quality:
Originally, we considered asking a buddy from the local league if he would lace up his boots. We even thought about letting someone from the community play in the wild-card slots.
Streamer Gamerbrother in the podcast Henke’s Corner
However, in the third season, there is already such a massive increase in quality that players below the Premier League, according to Gamerbrother, actually have no chance anymore. In addition to the actual players of the clubs, so-called wildcards are also mixed in. There have already been stars like Max Kruse, Kevin Großkreutz, Diego Contento, and Martin Harnik.
Have you all heard about this football game for couch enthusiasts?
Three is two too many
How many leagues of this kind are there in Germany? With the league that started everything, the Baller League, the Icon League, and finally the King’s League, there are now three comparable small-sided tournaments in Germany.
According to Gamerbrother, this is not necessarily an added value: “What is simply a problem in Germany is that you don’t have one league, but three. This creates this classic camp mentality, and I believe that’s exactly what holds back success a bit,” says the team manager.
In general, the streamer wishes for less “beef” between the leagues and their communities. However, there is also a significant opportunity to be recognized.
How does Gamerbrother want to increase the hype? The ongoing competition, especially between the Baller and Icon League, is according to Gamerbrother the perfect breeding ground to hold duels and thus draw more attention to the leagues.
Either we do CEO 1 against CEO 2 as a boxing match (in reference to Logan Paul vs. KSI) or we play out a big final between the Icon and Baller League.
Streamer Gamerbrother in the podcast Henke’s Corner
Since both leagues started in the same year, according to Gamerbrother, they should have “properly utilized” the hype to turn this community battle into a big event – perhaps this can still be implemented in the future.
If you want to know how other famous streamers perform in the small-sided cosmos and get a glimpse of the King’s League, feel free to check here: Twitch streamer overly celebrates a goal in the King’s League, while his team is 7 points behind.
