VfL Osnabrück, 1860 Munich or Dynamo Dresden – the third division is definitely very attractive in terms of sport. “It means so much for the club. That hasn’t happened here for decades,” said captain Max Wegner.
A lot of tradition, but number one is basketball
For three decades, the most famous pictures of Oldenburg football always featured a lot of celebrities. Rudi Assauer, for example, the legendary manager. Wolfgang Sidka, the 333-time Bundesliga professional. And Klaus Baumgart, part of the hit duo Klaus & Klaus. Together they almost led VfB Oldenburg to promotion to the Bundesliga in 1992 as head of sport, coach and vice-president. In the end, only one point was missing.
But the history also includes the deep fall: in 2004 and 2008 the traditional club even fell into the fifth division. Football in Oldenburg led a shadowy existence for a long time. The number one in town are the baskets. The “Thunderbirds” regularly attract a good 6,000 spectators to their hall and their success has made them one of the best clubs in the whole country.
VfB still moves the masses
However, what masses VfB still moves and what power it can still develop was shown on this Pentecost weekend, when the 170,000-resident city returned to German professional football after 25 years.
“This team isn’t a team at all, it’s just a top family that gets along really well.”
— Defender Gazi Siala
“It was my fifth season at VfB Oldenburg. I experienced ups and downs during this time,” said defender Gazi Siala. “Emotionally speaking, this is the best season for me. This team isn’t a team at all, it’s just a top family that gets along really well.”
DFB demands more than sporting success
But it was already clear before the game that the German Football Association (DFB) required much more than team spirit and sporting success in order to be able to play in the third division. “We have requirements from the DFB that an up-and-coming club must first meet. Clubs like Dynamo Dresden, which are established and have a large stadium, have an incredible advantage. Our budget is of course smaller than for such large traditional clubs,” said Sidka the “Deutschlandfunk”. The former coach is now the president of VfB and knows: “This is a very, very big step.”
Noise protection, no floodlights, no lawn heating
Sidka himself is responsible for further professionalizing the club. The biggest problem is and remains the stadium question. Due to noise protection regulations, the Oldenburger Marschweg Stadium cannot be used for the late kick-off times in the third division. Floodlights and lawn heating are missing anyway – which also belong to the regulations of the DFB. According to the association, the stadium must always be available.