VfL Osnabrück in the DFB Cup: Great, Bayern are coming

Ob is VfL Osnabrück a regional phenomenon? Managing director Michael Welling has to grin when he hears the question; of course he knows what she is referring to. Uli Hoeneß once denigrated Borussia Dortmund as a “regional phenomenon”; it was one of those not-so-subtle demonstrations of power that the eternal FC Bayern patron has already made so many of. Welling, 55, on the other hand, would in no way find such an insult. Of course, VfL Osnabrück, founded in 1899, sees itself as a regional phenomenon, he says. And by the way, you are very proud of it.

This Wednesday (8:45 p.m., live ticker SZ.de) an early highlight of the season is on the program for the second division promoted club, in the first round of the DFB Cup against none other than FC Bayern. National phenomena only appear very rarely at the legendary stadium on the Bremer Bridge, which is why managing director Welling is pleased that some glamor and nationwide attention will return to the small niche location. At least for one evening.

On the other hand, Welling is also a man of numbers and as such inclined towards pragmatism. Despite all the longing for a cup miracle, the chances of progressing are manageable. With an opponent from the second division or from the middle class of the Bundesliga, the Osnabrück team would have a lot more, at least on paper. Moving into the second or even third round of the cup would bring additional income, which would noticeably improve the club’s balance sheets. And all in one fell swoop. Nevertheless, Welling doesn’t shout curses at the lottery fairy: Bayern are coming? Well, if that isn’t great!

Osnabrück is one of those clubs that appear in large numbers on the German football map; they oscillate between the second and third league

VfL Osnabrück is one of those clubs that appear numerous on the German football map. As Welling puts it, they are constantly moving “between worlds”: Last season, VfL returned to the second division, after two years in league three, one season in league two, and before that again two years in league three. And so forth. The people of Osnabrück are in constant use of the elevator and have to make sure that they don’t feel dizzy or even nauseous. The Lower Saxony people have only ever been seen in the first class.

The Osnabrück residents have a few distant cousins, for example Rot-Weiss Essen, Eintracht Braunschweig, Dynamo Dresden, Hansa Rostock or Arminia Bielefeld: long-established, traditional businesses that exude a lot of local color, but rarely radiate beyond their region. And in recent years they have led a stressful existence between worlds: between the third and second league, in a sphere in which one constantly has to deal with existential worries and needs. And it’s difficult to get out of because the conditions are what they are.

“The economic competitive disadvantage,” says managing director Welling, leads to a “sporting competitive disadvantage” in football. In the third league, TV money is distributed from a central marketing pool, meaning that every club receives the same amount – last season the Osnabrück team collected 1.3 million euros this way. This brings the field of participants closer together in terms of sport. However, as soon as a club makes it into the second division, structural inequalities also increase with TV income: Osnabrück now receives seven million euros, which is around five times as much as in league three. Because as a promoted player you automatically take one of the lower places in the second division TV table, some competitors, especially those relegated from the first division, quickly receive double or triple the amount. This season, an invisible, almost insurmountable border is once again opening up in front of VfL Osnabrück – and after every relegation, a new attempt must be made in order to really make it to the other side in a sustainable manner.

Overdue investments in the stadium and training center are becoming a multi-million dollar effort for the club

VfL has no choice but to “overperform” for a few years in a row, as Welling says. In other words: to do better in the real table than the placement in the fictitious budget table would suggest. This was successful last season, explains Welling, when the club was promoted in the end despite only having the tenth largest economy.

Especially since regional phenomena are not immune from facing the demands of the present: the Osnabrück people are currently building a new training center according to modern standards, and the whole thing is expected to cost six million euros. In addition, the stadium at Bremer Bridge will soon shine in new splendor; The capacity is to increase from almost 16,000 to 17,300 seats, and the number of VIP seats is to be doubled. Cost: 67 million euros. The city pays half of it, but it still represents an enormous effort for VfL. And one that couldn’t be postponed any longer because the club had put off said investments for far too long. Now time is running out. Otherwise, says Welling, the club would probably no longer commute between the second and third division, “but would permanently fight to be a third division team at all”.

However, the Osnabrück team’s goal is different: they want to get out of the elevator and work their way up to become an established second division team. The club has also formulated a “purple-white utopia”: “We are celebrating,” it says, “with a lavish party with our fans at the climate-positive Bremer Bridge after a league home win against the reigning German champions!” VfL managing director Welling grins again. For the time being, he wouldn’t have any objections to a cup triumph against Bayern on Wednesday.