The Legend - From German television to Florida

Word has long since gotten around that DARIA moves people.
But when a legend leaves the pitch to write a new chapter, time holds its breath for a moment.

Declared since 1998 Maximilian von Garnier the Germans their football. On television, in the podcast “Money Downs“, as a commentator on Sport1. He is the face that makes complex plays understandable. The coach who brings the NFL closer to millions of TV viewers. The voice that has accompanied every German Bowl for over 25 years.

But now, at the age of 54, after 38 years in German football, he is drawing a line under this chapter, because new challenges are calling.

A legend

Born in Berlin, Maximilian left his mark on the American football in Germany. Hamburg became his home - he played for the Blue Devils for 16 years, won four German championships (1996, 2001, 2002, 2003) and three Eurobowl titles. He became a „cult figure“, a „monument“ to the club in front of a five-digit crowd at the Volksparkstadion.

For the German national team he played from 1997 to 2007. European champion. Won the 2005 Gold medal at the World Games in Duisburg - with a legendary 14:13 victory against the USA. He was awarded the Silver Laurel Leaf in 2008 for these achievements. This is Germany's Highest state award for top sporting achievements.

And now? He's giving it all up. For Florida.

A sport at its peak - and Max right in the middle of it

The American football is currently experiencing its biggest boom in Germany. 19 million Germans are NFL fans. Super Bowl viewership has more than tripled since 1999 - to 2.12 million in 2024.

RTL paid over 10 million dollars for the NFL rights in 2023 - more than three times the previous deal. When the NFL brought a regular-season game to Munich for the first time in 2022, 3 million people applied for tickets.

The German Football League has 73,400 registered members in around 500 clubs, almost half of all organized European football players. And as NFL Flag Coordinator Maximilian von Garnier has reached over 250 schools and 40,000 children in recent years.

Flag football becomes an Olympic discipline in 2028. Maximilian could have led Germany there. His full-time position with NFL partner Sportfive was designed to do just that.

But Max wants something else.

„When I was in Cape Coral for the first time, I immediately recognized the potential,“ says Max about his new life at DARIA in Florida. „This decision was the best decision of my life. I'm just happier here.“

Sport, gastronomy, vision - Max helps shape

At DARIA, Maximilian is not just „there“. He designs. As Director for Sport Events, he builds bridges between the DARIA community and the American sports world.

In October 2025, he organized the largest DARIA event to date: 44 members attended a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game at Raymond James Stadium. An exclusive experience where guests witnessed a Bucs victory against the San Francisco 49ers. The Florida Panthers, the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Max is in talks, negotiating, planning events everywhere.

DARIA members already have their own VIP suite in the Amerant Bank Arena. Designed by Victoria Rahlf, furnished for 41 home games plus concerts.

„The Americans understand entertainment like nobody else,“ enthuses Max. „They turn sporting events into unforgettable experiences.“

But sport is only part of his mission.

At the same time, Max is building up the DARIA Gastro Group: A German bakery here, a bistro there, plus a restaurant with event space and a rooftop bar at the headquarters. Empty rooms are transformed into gastronomic experiences - with kitchen planners, architects and engineers. Max coordinates everything.
„Something completely new is being created here,“ he says. And you can sense that this is exactly what drives him.

The headquarters: a project with heart and soul

The DARIA headquarters in Fort Myers Downtown is Maximilian's favorite project. An 80-year-old building - historic by American standards. But the potential? Huge.

„Buying this building was one of the best decisions DARIA has made,“ Max is convinced. Three floors, three worlds: downstairs the bakery with kitchen, the credit union and the showroom. On the second floor, the entire headquarters of all DARIA subsidiaries. Upstairs is the rooftop bar for events.

Max knows the plans inside out. He helped develop them.

„The enthusiasm for this project is with me every day,“ he says. „Together with the architect, we thought through every room.“

Now they are about to be approved.

A new start at 54

Max has been living in Cape Coral for almost six months now. Every day confirms his decision. „I look forward to every working day. To the conversations, to the projects, to what we're building here together.“

He has over ten years„ experience at AOL, three years at Yelp and three years managing a large catering event space in Hamburg. He has been on the coaching staff of the German national team without interruption since 2009 - the “longest-serving coach". In 2012, he was the first German coach to be selected for the Junior World All-Star Team.

He was at his peak. Commentator on Sport1. Co-host of „Money Downs“, one of the most popular German football podcasts. Full-time sports director of the NFL Flag School Program. Expert on RTL's NFL Draft Coverage.

But Max wanted more than status and recognition. He wanted to shape, build and create something new.

„DARIA is a project close to my heart,“ he says. „Everyone here is realizing their dream. We are working on something that is just beginning.“

He is a team player. He loves responsibility and challenges. He has chosen a new team for himself and his life.

The magic of the open future

DARIA means something fundamentally different to Maximilian than anything he has done before.

„With the individual projects, I know where the journey is going. But the overall journey? That's still open. And that's what makes it so special,“ he explains. „A year ago, we would never have thought that we would be standing here today. And in a year's time, we'll be somewhere else again.“

This constant development is what drives him. Not the safe harbor, but the open sea. Not the finished career, but building something new.

Maximilian von Garnier shows: Status is not the goal - but the starting point for something bigger.

This weekend was the last time he hosted a football match on German television. German football is losing its voice, its legend. The fans are losing their figurehead. The 40,000 children from his flag program are losing their mentor.

But Maximilian has found what he was looking for. „This is my absolute dream job,“ he says.

In Cape Coral, he doesn't just build restaurants and organize sporting events. He is building a life. For himself. For DARIA. For everyone who understands that freedom is more than just a place - it is a decision. And Maximilian embodies this attitude with particular charisma.

Because what makes DARIA special is more than success - it is the power to move people who are ready to start anew.
And Maximilian von Garnier shows us that true greatness is not created on the pitch, but in the courage to shape one's own future.

What do you think? We look forward to your comment.