Vfr Mannheim: The old master wants to go to the Regionalliga

This year, the VFR celebrated its 125-year club anniversary, despite Corona, a big celebration was possible in the late heaven at the end of July. An evening at which the 200 guests, including DFB vice-president Ronny Zimmermann and other representatives from sports, business and politics, the past was alive again. The older ones will remember that the Vfr Mannheim was a big number in the nationwide football: In 1949 the VFR defeated in the final of the German Championship Borussia Dortmund 3-2 after extension, in earlier times have already wore well names as the former national coach Sepp Herberger and Otto Nerz, but also rather the presence of the presence of personalities such as the Zigfache BundesligaCoach Wolfgang Wolf or Markus Sorg, currently Hansi Flicks assistant at the German national team, the jersey of the grass players.

Good and beautiful, says Serkan Zubari, who has to answer as a sports board here and now on the Theodor-Heuss plant, but to his taste one has rested far too long on the laurels long since past times. Do not misunderstand, but for the future tasks, not much, says Zubari, without wanting to reduce the helpers of the Master s team and other club icons.

Maybe the old, more and more fading fame but still brings something, because at least the older generation still holds her VFF the pole, while the football-loving youth - and not only that - rather the SV Waldhof, the TSG Hoffenheim or - Regionally completely uprooted - Clubs like Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund turns away.

The Waldhof, which is located nearly ten kilometers north of the VFR office, but his third-league home games in the immediate vicinity of VFR at the Carl-Benz Stadium, sends his second team to the Verbandliga duel next Saturday. The Waldhof professionals are long in other spheres. At the beginning of the 21st century, both Mannheim clubs were still at eye level, in the 2004/05 season, the Waldhof in the then fourth-class Oberliga alone at the same time due to the goal ratio was very shortly the nose.

At the top: In 1949, the VFR Mannheim defeated in the final of the German Championship Borussia Dortmund and got the first club the new and today s current master shell. Picture alliance / dpa

More than just a vision

One day, play fourth-class, that is more than just a vision according to Zubari, this goal has set itself the club. We are currently creating structures in order to master the master, even if the sports board does not want to set itself on a concrete year. It is only clear that the leap in the league should succeed. Such announcements have already been heard from other clubs, the Mannheimer has in contrast to many other ambitious amateur clubs but already over a stadium, in which the Fourth league ball can be easily played: The Rhine-Neckar Stadium has a capacity of 8,000 spectators, of which 2,000 Seating, and security pads like a private guest block are already standard.

With currently three points residue in place one and only one counter on relegation rush two have the undefeated pork halls in the Bandandliga Baden also sporty still all trumps in the hand. Partly higher-class experienced players like Ali Ibrahimaj (six second division games for the SV Sandhausen, 33 times 3. League and over 100 Regionalliga Games), Eric Schaaf (four second division inserts for Sandhausen and 83 Regionaligaparten) or attacker Benedict Koep (55 goals in 267 Regional Formas). In addition, Zibari also calls players like Torwart Marcel Lentz ( predestined for higher tasks ), John Malanga (in youth, among others at FC Schalke 04; Performed in the defense really good ) or Midfielmann Blerton Muca ( a technically strong left foot ), the Rasse Players after now seven association salvo years ago, a floor should be higher. Ex-professional Ralf Schmitt has not been part of this news, the coach had to take his hat after different views in the sporting area on 26 October.

We are not dependent on a single investor.

SERKAN ZBARI, sports board of VFR Mannheim

But how do you get players like Ibrahimaj - with ten trees Mannheim with a distance of accurate player - in the 6th league? Zubari: These players are all around 30, they all continue to think of their professional life. With our network we can help these players. The network, which consists of a variety of sponsors, small to medium-sized companies, many from the region. We are not dependent on a single investor, underlines Zubari, but at the same time that that in the amateur football rare fist pan in his hand, also keeps internationally networked internationally. When more players left the club last August at the end of the transfer period as originally thought and the local player market was largely crustaced, the Mannheimer handed back to the recommendations of her long-term friend ex-player Dragan Antic, who with the two Serbs Milos Stankovic and Bozidar Veskovac and the Croat Nediljko Kovacevic, three players with First League experience in Serbia or Bosnia-Herzegovina could convey to the VFR. In addition, another sponsor operates a funding program for talents in the US Atlanta, from which Mannheimer participates. The 21-year-old midfielder Alessandro Elias Castro is the third player who has dared to jump from America to Mannheim. Alessandro is still young, we ll see where his way goes, Zubari broke up the euphoria, knowing that a former US player had since returned to states, the second after a serious knee injury had to end his career, but professionally in Germany s foot. That s the double-edged sword anyway, some talents look at the VFF apparently a springboard for a later professional career, others strongly combine football and professional life.

And your own offspring? We had to clean up first when I came to VFR four years ago, says Zubari. As an active player, today s official developed a deep bond to this club ( I was with the VFR with as much heart and passion as well with any other club ), then helped the career parallel to his BWL studies 2011/12 as U- 23-coach and 2016 again as a coach at the U 19 and not quickly realized that the youth area, the least, did not satisfy the most highest demands. From 2017 to 2019 as a sporting director and then as a chosen sports board, Zubari and his colleagues have started to give up personally and structurally in youth in youth. Now that it is very wide, the measures should also increase to higher youth windows.

The goal Rise applies, as mentioned, also for the first team. On Saturday against the SV Waldhof II, the VFR Mannheim hopes for at least 500 to 300 to 300 spectators, in normal times, so before Corona, came with such games 500 to 1000 spectators, says Zubari. Being is at 19 o clock. The pre-program could not be much better at least: At 14 o clock already plays next door namely the third division of the SVW against the 1st FC Saarbrücken.