Rafting on the wild waters

It was a diversion the TSG Hoffenheim players had fully earned after their efforts over energy-sapping days of training. Following their last session in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Thursday, the team went on a rafting excursion and were rewarded for all their hard work in almost every respect: the weather was beautiful and the cool-down tour to Tyrol could hardly have come at a better time. The players had fun and enjoyed their refreshing time out.

They might have had to paddle to keep the boats on course, but given the strenous nature of their sessions on the training ground the excursion definitely fell into the category of a "recovery" activity. Julian Nagelsmann, who had scheduled the team event, also enjoyed the time on the water and took advantage of the unusual surroundings to get to know the new players. "In general, it always does you good after some hard days to clear your head. In such unusual situations, you get to know the people beyond what they're like as players."

Perfect for team building

The players loved the almost two hours spent on the water. "I'm a water lover, I love the sea and waters like this too. It's always good fun," said Nico Schulz. Those sentiments were echoed by Ermin Bicakcic: "Such events are good for building team spirit as well."

Following their rafting excursion, the players will return to the football pitch this Friday for the first highlight of their pre-season preparations. At 17:00 CET, TSG will play their first friendly of the summer when they take on third-division side SpVgg Unterhaching at the SC Pöcking sports complex. There will be a live ticker here at achtzehn99.de and on our Twitter channel.