Peter Rettig: “Continue along this path”

Mr. Rettig, the team has returned from their training camp in South Africa. Two more friendly fixtures are scheduled and then it's back to business. Are we well prepared?

Peter Rettig:We had the best second half of a season ever in the last campaign and we've also had a very good first half this time round. The training camp in South Africa went really well and the team was able to complete the programme that we had planned for them

This means all is set for a successful second half of the season?

Rettig: We've definitely done our homework. We're still at the beginning of our development and our expectations can't be too high. Of course we want to develop step-by-step and that is the case for the second half of the season as well. However, it is more important that we establish ourselves in the Bundesliga in the long run.

How to you plan to do that?

Rettig: The players are in experienced hands. We've got the right people in positions of responsibility. It is also important for the club to ensure continuity and provide the best possible conditions. We have long-term plans for Alexander Rosen and Markus Gisdol to further develop the club.

What are your priorities?

Rettig:We have already been able to tick off an important point on our to-do-list: The extension of Alex Rosen's contract. Alex has already held a senior position within TSG before he became director of football. He has undergone a continuous development at the club and over the course of the last 20 months he has proven to be the right man in this important position. We are relying on him. Therefore, the logical conclusion was to extend his contract until 2018. The past two years have been a success story that we owe to Alex's work, as well as to our head coach Markus Gisdol and his team.

What is Gisdol's future with the TSG?

Rettig:We want to ensure that Markus Gisdol will stay with us for a long time as well. It is important to us and to Markus to continue along this path. This is our aim for the talks we are holding at the moment. However, we are still in the first stages and we will announce the result as soon as we have it.

Will it also be possible for us to keep the squad together on a long-term basis?

Rettig:At the moment we have no players with contracts about to run out in our squad. That's a comfortable position. I'm not expecting major changes in the summer either. However, there will always be developments. So we just have to wait and see.

We seem to be heading into the right direction in terms of on the pitch, but there has also been a lot going on off the pitch. Where do the TSG stand at the start of 2015?

Rettig:We are also continuing to develop in other areas and are making good progress. We're making headway in terms of sponsorship; we have started to develop the club's brand and have expanded the fan community. The Business Club and VIP lounges are in high demand and ticket sales also show a positive trend. Every employee of the club is contributing his or her share to this.

Continuity is also an important factor for success. The DFL has given the go ahead for Dietmar Hopp to take over the majority of shares and thus voting powers of the Ltd. What are the possible implications?

Rettig:It would just be the logical next step for the Hopp family to hold the majority of shares. Sustainability, stability and reliability are supposed to be our club's signature features. This is what Dietmar Hopp has stood for over the 20 years that he has spent supporting this club. Nothing will change regarding the day-to-day business.

Thank you for your time, Mr. Rettig!