Sports director in an interview
© Imago
At the beginning of the 20th century, locomotive Leipzig, at that time still as VfB Leipzig, was a top team and became the first German champion in 1903. In the meantime, the club has disappeared from professional football for several decades, but can have justified hopes for a return after a good first half of the season in the Regionalliga Northeast. In an interview with the transfer market, sports director Toni Wachsmuth spoke about the previous season, the challenges and potential of the regional league and about the “unfair” promotion regulation.
“We want to take the positive mood and the euphoria from 2024 with us. Our goal is also to build on the good performance of the first half of the season, ”says Wachsmuth. This has already been achieved at the start of the new year. Nevertheless, the sports director is humble: “We drove well throughout the season to look at ourselves and analyze what we do well and what we are not doing so well yet.”
Lok has been leading the table in the Regionalliga Northeast since the eighth matchday and, according to Wachsmuth, has played an “extraordinary first half of the season”. “Nevertheless, we know that we are not allowed to rest on it. In the second half of the season we go to most games as a favorite, so it gets heavier. Measured by our economic framework, which are still not top in the regional league, but rather in midfield, this is very remarkable. ”With a squad value of just over 2 million euros, Lok has the most fifth -valuable team in the league. “We still have a lot of hot duels and derbies in front of us, where the team is demanding. The team is strong enough to do this. However, we are still not the favorite for the championship. ”
Lok Leipzig’s secret recipe: good mood and stable defensive
Last year, the Leipzig landed in a disappointing tenth place and played “one season to forget”. Wachsmuth explains that you currently have a lead of six points on the second hall: “We turned some cogs and created a new atmosphere in the club, especially for the team. The main point is that we have a different character in the team and are a real unit on and next to the square. You can see that to the boys. You will find a very good mix between good mood and hard work. The results are a reflection of it. ”According to the 38-year-old, there is“ enormous potential ”in the club.
Coach Jochen Seitz, who took over the office at the start of the season, also has his contribution to sporting success. “With the change to the sidelines, we have new processes and our type of football has changed. We are much more stable on the defensive and much better against the ball, ”says Wachsmuth about sporting development. With only twelve goals you place the best defense of the league, no goalkeeper has played in the league as often as Andreas Naumann (twelve times).
Even if the former professional of SC Paderborn did not want to talk about the climb, he still explained the 3rd league as a medium -term goal. “An association with the tradition of Lok Leipzig must have the goal of establishing itself in professional football again. Now is a moment when we are a bit more successful than it might be the plan. We have to create framework conditions, especially infrastructure and economically to keep the club in a professional league. That is the goal for the next five years. “
Lok Leipzig would have to go to the relegation: “This is not fair”
But the championship in the Regionalliga Nordost would not be synonymous with an ascent to the 3rd division. First Lok Leipzig would have to exist in the promotion relegation against the first in the Regionalliga Nord, currently the TSV Havelse, while the masters of the other three regional leaves rise directly. “The current regulation is not good and must not be a permanent solution,” Wachsmuth criticizes the concept controversial in many places. There are four promotion places for five regional leader. The masters from the west and southwest, the largest regional associations, are allowed to the 3rd league without detours, this year this also applies to the best team in the Regionalliga Bavaria. “Two regional leagues are given three others, that is not fair. That is why a solution must be talked about in my eyes. You can see the problem, but this solution will be pushed into the next year. A whole season can be destroyed within 180 minutes. “
The last time in professional football, the Leipziger were in the 1997/98 season when they descended from the 2nd Bundesliga. Since then, an odyssey has followed the regional and top division. In the meantime it is the ninth season in a row in fourth class. “I think the league has an extreme charm because just a lot of traditional clubs play there and they all actually have the same goal somewhere. Everyone wants to leave the regional league towards third division. And all traditional clubs have the same or similar problems because it is often lacking in economic strength. Not only one or two teams deal with the climb, but almost half the league thinks about it. The stadiums are full for this, no other regional league attracts so many spectators. ”
According to the TM database, an average of 5,543 fans visit Lok Leipzig’s games-so it is in fourth place. With the FSV Zwickau, the Chemnitzer FC, Rot-Weiß Erfurt, Halleschen FC and Carl Zeiss Jena, five other clubs have more than 5,000 fans per game. “The high number of spectators is a curse and a blessing at the same time. To secure a regional league game with up to 10,000 spectators in stadiums, some of which are getting old, is not easy, ”explains Wachsmuth, who also sees the missing TV revenues as a problem. “On the one hand, you work under professional conditions, but this is not a question of financially. This is a narrow line. “
Wachsmuth: Lok has to benefit from NLZS instead of competing
One factor to build something sustainably can of course be youth work. Four home -grown plants are currently in the Lok Leipzig squad, the U19 plays in the Landesliga, while the U17 starts in the regional league. “Youth work plays a major role in us because we are an association that is interesting for ambitious young players. Of course, RB Leipzig is a top NLZ in the same city, but it is also clear to us that we cannot compete here. The goal must be to be the second force in Leipzig’s young football, ”said Wachsmuth.
According to the sports director, Lok Leipzig would rather benefit from young performance centers such as RB Leipzigs instead of competing with them: “For example, talent could strive to make the leap into an NLZ. On the other hand, we want to be a starting station if a player does not make the big leap in an NLZ and is sorted out. With us you will find very good conditions. The goal must be to become a top address behind the performance centers. ”
The goal must be to be the second force in Leipzig’s young football.
In the youth area there was already a few changes between Lok Leipzig and RB Leipzig, which is why the two clubs are in a steady exchange: “The development is not always linear. If a player needs a little more time, then he has the right place to take a step back and to fulfill the dream of professional football or at least from very ambitious performance football. Therefore, our goal must be to start with the U17 and the U19 in the highest possible division, which is the regional league in our case. ”
Lok Leipzig back in professional football: “It would be a dream”
In the background, the licensing procedure for the 3rd league is currently running, which deals with the responsible Lok Leipzigs: “The biggest challenges after an increase would be economic in nature. You need a strong foundation to survive there. Infrastructure is also a big topic with us. The aim is to offer third division football in the Bruno-Plache Stadium, “says Wachsmuth, but first focuses on the next 13 game days:” However, we have to play a good second half of the season to achieve this goal. “
“It would be a dream to lead a traditional club back into professional football after many years. With all challenges, I see a huge chance. It is still a long way and a lot of hard work ahead of us, but we all started with this vision. We want to develop Lok Leipzig sustainably into a location that combines modernity with tradition in professional football, ”says Wachsmuth at the end of the conversation.