Copenhagen Towers

After two decades of football, defensive tackle Ole Toft Nielsen is getting ready for yet another season, here's what he had to say about his expectations for 2010.

Yes, definitely, I am training hard, and looking forward to a new season with a lot of interesting developments within the team. I feel like I have a few more good years of football in me, at this point I can’t do without it. Since the national team went to Austria last summer I've made sure to stay in shape. I've kept up with the usual weight training over the winter but instead of sparing my old knees, I've gone all out this year, and they've luckily held up so far.

What are the new developments that cause your optimism?

Firstly influx of talent from the youth department which is the best in the country. The continued development of a roster that is the youngest in the league will definitely give a boost. In my opinion the Stars and the Razorbacks have peaked, and don’t have much room for development because of the high average age of the players. The signing of an exciting new coach and a terrific QB will obviously help too. I also know that the board is working hard to expand the coaching staff so we will end up with 6 to 8 coaches.

Do you have any specific young players in mind?

There are a lot of young guys that impress me, but I think that especially (linemen) Jens Møller and Kristoffer Green will make a difference already in their first year. I am also curious to follow the further development of OLB Phillip Hargett (Towers defensive player of the year in 2009). He developed a lot last year and will hopefully continue this development this year. Phillip plays with a lot of intensity and has really stepped up his work in the weight room, which really showed last year.

What do you think was the key to the success of the Søllerød Gold-diggers last year?

Kim Ewé is essential to the success of SGD. But the development of QB Alexander Cimadon was also an important factor. They also play as a team, they are not a group of individuals, but a team.

What do you think speaks for the ability of the Towers to do better?

In my opinion, we have more talented players, and thus more potential. Now we will have to see if the new coach can take advantage of it. He certainly has the resume for it. And with the addition of a great QB the sky is the limit!

What do you think is the single most important thing for the new coach to contribute?

Confidence and excitement! We had a bad season last year, because of a huge number of key injuries, and the psychological impact of that has to be washed away. We have the youngest roster in the league, and I think our biggest obstacles are lack of experience and too high regard for the other teams. We have to support the development of the young players, and improve their confidence. And then our offense needs to be more productive – it was very unproductive last year. I feel that we have the players, if we get offense going we can play with anyone in the league, there is no doubt in my mind!