TSGDoku - Deniz Solmaz - Simply Different

Episode 5: Competition stimulates business

TSGMedia: At the end of 2017, it was announced that your big rival in the city was merging with the financially strong Teutonia Watzenborn. What were your thoughts at the time?

Deniz: Well, the fact that clubs have always tried to conquer our place as one of the leading training clubs was nothing new. The dimension that this merger was to take on was in a completely different league. There was talk of a new NLZ. We were considered dead in the water in the early days; we were supposed to have been broke for years anyway (laughs). Our boys had to hear at school that Wieseck would soon be eaten up by the new FC Giessen and that we no longer had a future. I must honestly admit that I also had construction pains for two or three days at the beginning. We have invested so much in this club, were the critics right? The first two days were crass, but then they turned into merciless motivation. I did not want to accept that we would be pushed to the descending branch.

TSGMedia: What decisions did you make after that and what did that situation do to you?

Deniz: I needed a bit to collect myself and then very quickly switched to attack. From well-informed circles, I actually always knew exactly what was planned over there, so that was an advantage. I immediately called our good contacts in Germany to further cement our reputation as a training club. I tried to focus even more on the players and coaches, the training and the free choice of club after the training period was a pound for us. We also had massive talks with sponsors and supporters. This somewhat full-bodied talk of the neighbor has led to a lot of solidarity.

TSGMedia: What all changed then?

Deniz: We wanted to show that money is not the most important thing in youth football, but we also need resources to improve our structure. We built a new office, which now has 180 square meters. Integrated in it is the fanshop, two offices, a kitchen, a sauna and sanitary facilities. We were able to almost double the budget together with unbelievably great people. We have added seats to the stands in the stadium, we have built a stand on the artificial turf. We now have five buses to handle the Germany-wide test game trips. The coaching staff grew from 35 to nearly 60 coaches now. This perceived threat has totally welded us all together. The only small drawback is that my workload has unfortunately gotten a bit out of hand, but it had to be done. Competition is good for business and it has been super good for us.

TSGMedia: In March 2020, there was a lockdown and a real soccer year didn't happen in 2020. How did you cope with it?

Deniz: This lockdown phase hit us pretty hard on a human level. Interpersonal contact with each other and with the players was super important to us. Sure, a few of our colleagues were a bit down, but we couldn't afford that. In an internal meeting in the summer, the sparks briefly flew, because true character is revealed in a crisis. After that, we all got down to work, and the construction projects were all initiated and realized at once. Corona has not harmed the club, but rather brought it forward. Sponsors and supporters have all stayed with us and we have also been able to attract new ones. We were able to take care of many structural things there. I think we are in a great position.

Nevertheless, I think the price paid by the children and young people is far too high. Politicians have to differentiate. I would like to see the training continued again in the same way as the school openings.

At the end of the interview series, we dare to look ahead a little:

Structurally, we will have to broaden our base. We in management will have to work even more professionally. The social media area will be massively expanded. Furthermore, our infrastructure is reaching its limits. The new floodlights in the stadium and the new soccer field on our grounds should relieve us. Furthermore, we need to expand the office in the short and medium term. The two offices are not enough. A VIP area is to follow. What will never change for us, however, is player-centeredness. EVERYTHING must be geared to the needs of the players, because they are the reason why we exist in the first place!

In May we are planning our next trip to Auschwitz. In July, our annual coaches' retreat will take place for the first time in Austria for six days, and in December we plan to visit our ex-Wiesecker Luca Waldschmidt in Lisbon.