Aljoscha Kemlein is considered the greatest talent in the Union youth Photo: dpa/picture-alliance
By Sebastian Karkos
With the Champions League, Union has cracked the sporting jackpot. There is another free prize from Uefa: the Youth League, the international competition for the U19 age group.
Manager Oliver Ruhnert (51) sees it as an opportunity: “The club will take a giant step.”
Union is there because all 32 teams in the premier class group stage qualify automatically. The game is always played on the day of the game in the Champions League.
As with the professionals, it is not yet clear where the games of the Union talents will actually take place. Uefa demands a Category 1 stadium. According to the Berlin Football Association (BFV), only two locations meet the criteria for this: the Olympic Stadium and the Alte Försterei.
If the pros move to Charlottenburg, they will automatically start in Köpenick. If the professionals play in Köpenick, an exemption would probably be granted for a smaller stadium.
Interesting: 14 players must be “local players” for the duels. Means: This must have been in the club for at least two full calendar years. Also means: Putting together a team especially for the Youth League doesn’t work.
In the past season, the U19s of coach Marco Grote (50) came fourth in the Bundesliga (Nord/Nordost Season), the U17s eleventh. The youth department is improving step by step, but is still a long way from Hertha’s offspring.
In terms of sport, the Youth League is a real challenge!