"It's now that the real work begins"

Andi, please describe your feelings to us after what has been an intense and extremely difficult season. What was your predominant emotion on 17 May, following the final whistle on Matchday 34?

Schicker: "There was a certain sense of relief, but nobody can be satisfied after a 4-0 defeat in the final match. So it was a case of: 'Tick it off, get the season over'. But it's now that the real work starts again. The first thing that we did was to clarify any issues with regard to expiring contracts, which had previously not been possible due to the uncertain situation. That is never easy, especially when it comes to players like Pavel (editor's note: Kadeřábek) who deservedly have legend status here. Over the coming weeks, it will be a case of continuing our planning so that every player has clarity about the path forward. We also know that not everything will be in place when training starts at the beginning of July. Rather, it will be a three-month process across the course of the transfer window. But it is important to me that the players generally know how and in what role they feature in our plans."

It sounds as if the season analysis had already started before Matchday 34.

Schütz: "The fundamental analysis started at least half a year ago. The starting point was the fact that we have conceded more than 60 goals on average each year over the course of the last five seasons, under four different coaches and with what feels like 15 different defenders. In other words, it is seemingly not an individual problem but in all likelihood a profound structural one that needs to be solved."

What do you think will be done about this?

Schütz: "A structural problem cannot be solved over night. The need to change the entire squad structure is a decisive point that has emerged from our analysis of the recurring defensive problems that TSG have had. In concrete terms, this means that we fundamentally need to review the squad in terms of the balance between attack and defence, the occupation of certain key positions and the compatibility of the players types – and to adapt it where required. We have set out as a management team to give this club a clear direction and identity again – in sporting, economic and organisational terms. Yes, this path is challenging, but it opens the door to something bigger. Sometimes, we have to say goodbye to the familiar – out of conviction for the greater good. We want to give this chosen path continuity and not throw everything out of the window at the first sign of setbacks. This patience and the trust of the club members and fans in the process are essential. It is crucial that we always make our decisions for the good of TSG. No one is bigger than the club."

What should the sporting approach be in terms of the squad?

Schicker: "It is important that we continue to have the classic, long-standing TSG faces in our ranks: experienced players, core players who enable young players to develop. In addition, a proportion of them should consistently come from our own academy, which is currently producing a lot of really good youngsters. We deliberately extended Hennes Behrens' contract and simultaneously promoted him to the first-team squad. In Mo Damar, we also have a player who is returning from a very successful loan spell in Elversberg. Despite many other offers on the table, we were able to extend his contract. I additionally see a number of young and highly talented players who can also be brought in from other clubs, such as Bazoumana Touré for example. It was and still is the clear intention of the shareholders to rejuvenate the squad, which was actually one of the three oldest in the league last season with an average age of 27.0 years."

And what should typical TSG football look like?

Schicker: "We have to adopt a very attractive style of play in Hoffenheim that is very vertical towards the goal, i.e. towards the penalty area, in possession of the ball. And off the ball, we have to play a very proactive brand of football, sometimes pressing very high but also being very active in a deeper phase. I think that you've already seen that in phases this spring – but never on a consistent basis. We made a clear decision to continue with Christian Ilzer as coach, who made a lot of adjustments and compromises to the style of play this season because everything was so unstable. It was all about staying in the league. Ultimately, and we must be honest about this, we saw very little of the football that we wanted to play. We will now be more consistent and, to that end, we of course need an intense pre-season in addition to the right squad."

However, the structural process is by no means just about reorganising the squad.

Schütz: "It is the ongoing development of an entire organisation, that is the essence of a change process. Regardless of whether it's about personnel, corporate culture, IT or communication. These topics all need to be strengthened. And it's equally important that we also sit down with the Ultras one evening and answer the questions of the fans. That provides us with good ideas, which we take on board and try to implement. Take the stadium, for example: a 'TSG Village' is set to be created around it that will be a permanent fixture at our matches – not solely on family matchdays or at special events. That is in planning, we're spending money in order to fulfil the wishes and the demands of the fans. In addition, we're planning regular 'Open days' at the training ground in Zuzenhausen, where fans and interested parties can take a look behind the scenes at TSG. Overall, we want to gel closer together and there are already several ideas, and concepts on the table to achieve this."

Briel: "We're aware of the fact that change harbours opportunities for improvement, but at the same time means effort, upheaval and uncertainty for everyone involved. Our common objective is to achieve tangible improvements on numerous levels for the benefit of TSG. To this end, we will of course require a great deal of patience and the right results to ensure that our approach is accepted. It has to be clear that our strategy is working. The alternative, on the other hand, would be to leave everything as it is and to hope that something changes. However, we're convinced that we need to take action. TSG has only been able to stabilise financially in recent years because it has succeeded over the course of many seasons in developing young, talented players and teams and generating considerable transfer sums. With the average age of our squad increasing to 27 years, there is a lack of valuable player assets – to put it in balance sheet terms – which a club like TSG has to develop and sell as part of its DNA in order to refinance the significant operating and investment costs. It is certainly not a sustainable business model to say: 'Dear shareholders, we need coal again so that the locomotive can keep running.' Because at some point, we'll be at the end of the line."

How important is accessibility for you from a brand perspective?

Jost: "Very important. It's especially important to have a real connection at a club like TSG, which doesn't have the large fan base of a city with millions of fans. We want and need to get close to the people. We currently have around 11,000 members – our goal is to double that number by 2027 if possible. To achieve this, we have to go out there, be active and listen. Be it through events, fan meetings, friendly fixtures in the region or other new formats. I am convinced that you will only be accepted if you are accessible. We have to break new ground in that respect."

What role do the shareholders play in this change process?

Schütz: "The shareholders provide the strategic framework within which the management operates. As managing directors, we are the operational executors who translate the vision into reality, adapt the organisation and guide the employees through the process. A successful change process therefore requires close coordination, mutual trust and clear communication between both levels. Without the commitment and support of the shareholders, such a far-reaching organisational change cannot succeed. We're very happy about the fact we have an excellent relationship with TSG's shareholders. There is a very, very intensive dialogue with Jörg Albrecht as the representative of the e.V., and we also speak regularly with Dietmar Hopp. Together, we have also decided to reduce the business relationship with certain player advisors, which is sometimes perceived as problematic both internally and externally, to the absolute minimum required. Every future collaboration with advisors will be examined individually by the management and only entered into if it demonstrably serves the best sporting and economic interests of TSG Hoffenheim, does not jeopardise the club's good reputation and can withstand free competition."

What does that mean in concrete terms for TSG's role on the transfer market?

Briel: "As was the case in previous years, we have to regularly generate a transfer surplus in order to offset the club's structural deficit to some extent. With that in mind, there certainly won't be an investment offensive on the transfer market. Changes to the squad will initially focus on streamlining, with only selective and moderate reinforcements planned. We should not forget the key players who will hopefully return very soon. In Grischa Prömel, Ihlas Bebou and later Ozan Kabak, we already have what feels like three new additions."

However, it could also be that current key players receive enticing offers. Generally speaking, does TSG have or want to sell in that case?

Schicker: "We certainly have players in the squad who have a market in the summer, but whom we would like to keep because we want them to be part of the change. Of course we want to keep those players. Let's take Adam (editor's note: Hložek) as an example. If he stays here for another year, I'm sure that his market value could go in a completely different direction. I can see a number of players who – when we are much more stable as a team and also competing in other regions of the table – will hold a completely different value. I am convinced that we have leading players, real leaders in the squad, who will show this even more strongly."

By contrast, there has been no change in the main sponsor. To what extent was the extension of the contract with main and shirt sponsor SAP also a statement?

Jost: "The SAP contract is of course brutally important for us. Everyone always thinks that this partnership is practically God-given because Dietmar Hopp co-founded SAP in the 1970s. But it has never been the case that this contract simply keeps running. It requires the firm conviction of both parties, which extends far beyond the lettering on the shirt. SAP is not only one of the few globally successful companies from Germany, but also a company from our region. It therefore fits in extremely well with our overall orientation: "more accessibility, more appeal". We want to develop something in the region. Part of that is also about keeping such partners on board."

Where do you see TSG in two or three years in sporting and financial terms?

Schicker: "We want to compete for the international places. We have to take a new path – and stick to it too. The majority of TSG players must be able to take the next step here and see the club as a springboard once again. For two-thirds of the players in the squad, the focus must be on development which will eventually lead to a transfer."

Briel: "Financially, our challenge will be to restore the economic balance between income and expenditure and to finish the seasons in a much better sporting and financial position than before. The record investments in the 23/24 and 24/25 seasons will naturally have an ongoing effect on the next two balance sheets at least. At the same time, the path outlined above will of course require time for the corresponding figures to be generated again. In view of the measures described, we will have to contend with corresponding losses for the 2025/26 season. If we have managed to change course in sporting terms by then, this will definitely provide us with prospects for the future, both in sporting and economic terms. A single-digit position in the table should then also be a realistic and ambitious goal for our club, especially as TSG are currently in the bottom half of the table in terms of revenue compared to the other locations in the league."

TSG face massive competition in the Bundesliga.

Briel: "Of course, the possibilities always depend to a certain extent on the composition of the league. Two clubs with lower revenues, Kiel and Bochum, are leaving the Bundesliga this year, while HSV and Köln are coming back up. They already generate a significantly higher turnover on their own than we do, which is around €100 million for us without transfer income. To put that into perspective: Clubs like Bremen, Union Berlin, Mönchengladbach and Freiburg now generate between €150 and over €200 million in revenue. That means we have to act more intelligently again and need to make the right decisions. We also need to get closer to the revenue levels of our competitors via the transfer market."

TSG's main source of income is currently revenue from media rights, which recently accounted for around 40% of total revenue.

Briel: "The importance of centrally marketed media rights remains enormous for us. To make matters worse, we are now losing more than €20 million in revenue next season due to our recent poorer placements and the lack of international competition. That's why we have to strengthen the core again, which also has an economic impact on all areas, and make economically sensible decisions."

How big is the potential for growth in sponsorship or marketing?

Jost: "There is still a lot of potential there. As a club, we have to be self-critical: we were far too distant from our sponsors, neglected the network and had too few real partnerships. We need to be close to the people again. I am certain that this will work. If SC Freiburg, for example, generate around €35 million through sales and sponsorship, then we at TSG Hoffenheim should at least aim for €30 million."

That would be a milestone in terms of sponsorship.

Jost: "I am more than optimistic that we can get many things back on track. I am very motivated to change things. And that's what we're going to do. We are currently developing a brand image that includes four messages: "We love football. We support people. We are pioneers. And: 'We are Hoffenheim'. That's what it's all about. We have a village DNA, which at the same time repeatedly produces world class. I believe that TSG can once again be a real shining light for the region."