Commentary: Technika is back, but there is still a lot of work ahead of them
Original commentary was written by Ján Jabrocký.
The last spot for Extraliga 2022 was filled on Sunday. Technika Brno won both games against Bučovice and will return to the top flight of baseball next year. But what does it mean for Brno club?
Technika had a tough going in Promotion League this year. Since Extraliga narrows down in 2022, the chances of getting one of two Extraliga spots was slimmer than usual. Despite all this, Technika let it be heard their goal was to return back. First, however, they had to go through First League and earn one of the first two spots in Promotion League. If you remember the beginning of the season, Technika didn’t start ideally. After first two weeks against Hippos and Bučovice they were 2-2.
Everything changed in the series against Skokani, where Technika won two times and started the winning streak which lasted till the end of the regular season. It would seem that sending their key players on loan to Extraliga clubs was an important step. Funnily enough, these were the same players who played for Technika against their previous teams during Promotion League. And we know how that went. Of course, it were the little things that made the difference. Still, it would seem that there was much better chemistry at Kraví hora this year, when compared to the previous one and that, too, was a reason why Technika finished where it did.
But this may not be the best outcome for Brno itself. After slimming down Extraliga, Brno teams are likely to get new players only from Blansko. On the other hand, teams in Prague will search in SaBaT, Kotlářka and Jablonec. Hluboká can also snatch a few players from Prague First League clubs and strengthen even more. This, of course, means that Brno teams will have tougher opponents against them.
Technika has a lot of work ahead of them. The first part comes with field reconstruction, as it currently doesn’t fulfill norms for Extraliga games. Based on the information we have, this shouldn’t be a problem and it seems realistic Technika will become another Czech club with lighting. Hence, after Blansko demotion, there will still be two teams with conditions for night games in Brno region.
Following this there are long-term goals, mainly youth programs. Two other Extraliga teams in the city both fared better in youth categories in recent years. However, return to Extraliga could be used to recruit more young players. There’s always an option to lure back the players who left the team, mainly to play in Hroši.
It is clear that three time Czech Extraliga champions won’t have an easy road ahead of them. Especially if they plan to return to fights for the title, the position Technika found themselves regularly in some ten years ago. If they keep up their efforts, it is not unlikely we will see them in the same position again. However, the league became much more competitive and the return will not be an easy one.
