High spirits and fun at media day

At the conclusion of Monday morning's training session, the TSG Hoffenheim first team squad prepared themselves for a popular fixture in the German footballing calendar, namely the annual DFL Media Day. At the event held in the PreZero Arena, pictures, videos and Gifs of the players and coaching staff were prepared for the season ahead.

The players and coaching staff were divided into seven groups and sent around seven different stations, where enough media material to last for the entirety of the new season could be produced. In addition to traditional media content such as player portraits and goal celebrations, videos which will be used for international promotion of the Bundesliga were also filmed.

''It was good fun''

The first team squad were also put through their paces from a sporting perspective: in this year's challenge, the players had to pass the ball against an elastic net and then send the deflected ball into a small goal on the volley. ''It was good fun and made for a nice change from our routine,'' said Joelinton.

The pictures, videos and Gifs aren't just for TV; they'll also be used for the presentation of line-ups on matchdays, display on big screens in stadiums as well as in video games. The material will be used over the course of the whole season, which goes to explain why Kevin Vogt had to pose in a Santa Claus costume. ''The media day is really well-organised. It's been great for us to get back in the stadium after a long time away,'' said the club captain.

The next big date on the agenda for the TSG players is Wednesday, when coach Alfred Schreuder's team will take on Jahn Regensburg in a friendly match. The following day will see the squad travel to Windischgarsten for their pre-season training camp. The team's full summer schedule can be found on the club website.