Hertha BSC planned a partial takeover of Hertha 03 Zehlendorf when it founded its women’s department. But the DFB opposed it. Now all teams have to change – and the club fears losing its DNA.
- As the last Bundesliga club, Hertha BSC will set up a department for women’s and girls’ football following the decision of the general meeting in November
- Because the German Football Association (DFB) does not accept the actual plan for the partial takeover of Hertha 03 Zehlendorf by Hertha BSC, the entire department of the regional league team has to change
- Better prospects beckon to the players of the high-performing teams, Hertha 03 financial and infrastructural progress – but the club’s DNA is in danger
The two clubs, the “big” and the “small” Hertha, agree that a contract has been drawn up and is almost ready to be signed – albeit differently than originally planned. Actually, Hertha BSC should and only wanted to take over the three top teams from Hertha 03 Zehlendorf: The women’s regional league team, the U17 Bundesliga juniors and the U15s. All other youngsters and the popular sports teams should remain with Hertha 03, training and youth development should be supported by Hertha BSC. However, the German Football Association (DFB) does not allow this concept.
Hertha BSC is about to take over the performance teams from Hertha 03 Zehlendorf
Hertha BSC was the last Bundesliga club to decide to set up a women’s soccer department. She could compete in the regional league as early as next season – thanks to a partial takeover of Hertha 03 Zehlendorf. By Lars Beckermore
If a Bundesliga team wants to change clubs, according to the strict requirements from Frankfurt, then the entire department has to go along with it. All or nothing. No compromise. A purely formal decision as to whether the content makes sense or not. “The solution will probably be that the entire girls’ and women’s department will now go over to Hertha BSC,” says Kamyar Niroumand, the president of Hertha 03 and the initiator of the cooperation between the two clubs. However, Hertha BSC does not have the capacity to provide all teams with training and playing facilities on the Olympic site.
This means that if the DFB, the Northeast German Football Association (NOFV) and the Berlin Football Association (BFV) agree to the plans, the girls’ and women’s departments will be taken over by Hertha BSC in the summer and games will start as early as next season – but until train and play completely in Zehlendorf at an unforeseeable point in time. “We are there as a cooperation partner, make our premises available, do all the coordination on the pitch and our sporting managers are integrated into Hertha BSC,” Niroumand describes the suboptimal solution for everyone involved.
Hertha 03 waives part of its “club DNA” due to DFB veto
Stefan Herm, the coach of the U17 Bundesliga juniors, finds the attitude of the DFB extremely annoying and, above all, completely incomprehensible. The requirements are about creating a perspective for high-performing teams – at a professional club with the right infrastructure, i.e. that “high-performing teams go to the professional clubs, while the amateur clubs look after the area of popular sports”. Attempts were made in Berlin to achieve this goal. “If the association then doesn’t want to implement that, it raises more questions than answers,” comments Herm.
Hertha 03 is not allowed to set up a girls’ or women’s department in the next two years.
As is now planned, Hertha Zehlendorf should also lose a piece of club culture: “Girls’ and women’s football is part of Hertha Zehlendorf’s DNA and shouldn’t be completely gone here,” emphasizes Herm. But that would definitely be the case for the time being: “Hertha 03 may not set up a girls’ or women’s department in the next two years,” said President Niroumand, describing the legal situation. “After two years we are talking to Hertha BSC that we might go back to our original idea and build a girls’ and women’s department again. But that has not yet been discussed.” Reversal of the mass sports teams, if the associations then allow it, complete rebuilding or permanent abandonment of girls’ and women’s football in Zehlendorf – these would be the possible options for Hertha 03 in two years.
The at least temporary renunciation of independent girls’ and women’s football is likely to bring criticism to Niroumand and Hertha 03, possibly damaging the image and public image of the club. Parents, especially those of children from the mass sports sector, are more likely to feel overwhelmed than affected by the changes that are imminent in the short term.
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Financial donations and know-how from Hertha BSC
The question remains as to what advantages Hertha 03 will derive from the deal. Hertha BSC, emphasizes Kamyar Niroumand, will be involved in Hertha 03 in various ways: “It will definitely be the case that Hertha will come here with their coaching staff and will build everything up from a sporting point of view. Secondly, a budget for infrastructure has been agreed, That’s also stipulated in the contract. It is also stipulated that our men’s team will play a friendly game with the Hertha pros every year and that we will also get tickets for the Bundesliga games for our youth department.”
The infrastructure measures include new changing rooms for girls’ and women’s teams on the site, as well as investments in the training grounds. It has been agreed not to disclose the amount of the annual donations. They are said to be around the amount Hertha BSC has supported Turbine Potsdam with in recent years. That would be an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 euros. The cooperation with Turbine, which is expected to be relegated to the Bundesliga, will end in the summer.
Perspective for the top talents of the U17s from Hertha 03
In addition to financial, infrastructural and personnel support, the cooperation should bring one thing above all: better development opportunities for the Hertha 03 talents. For the club’s high-performing teams, the move to Hertha BSC would be a big step in the direction of professionalization and a perspective, especially for the top talents of the U17 Bundesliga team, emphasizes coach Stefan Herm.
So far, the step to a professional career has often required moving to other cities. The goal is then, for example, clubs “like Meppen, Essen or Hoffenheim, which have already taken this step in combining professional football and women’s and girls’ football”. But that was “extremely difficult, because the girls are 16 or 17 years old, they are torn from their family environment, they have to change schools, usually in the preparation for the Abitur phase and then also make the sporty step.” The Zehlendorf-based company now hopes that this development will also be possible in Berlin from now on.
So far, they have generally had to leave the city if they want to develop professionally.
With his U17 juniors, the coach is currently in a remarkable third place in the Bundesliga Northeast, ahead of the youth teams from Bundesliga clubs like Wolfsburg and Bremen. Even second place and qualification for the final round of the German championship is still possible. With the upcoming takeover and the move to Hertha BSC, the dream of Bundesliga football in Berlin could actually come true for the outstanding talents of the year – if the project is successful.
The U17 team has also been able to use the professional training conditions on the Hertha campus: “We have done initial performance diagnostics with the girls and are now entering this into a database, which is a good basis for the performance development of the top athletes. That doesn’t just do that fun, that’s also extremely useful,” says Stefan Herm, describing a special experience that shouldn’t remain a one-off. It is planned that the girls will be able to occasionally use the training facilities and the medical department of Hertha BSC in the coming months.
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Ex-Turbine coach Sofian Chahed head of the Hertha project
The coach also played a key role in negotiating the sporting part of the contract with Hertha BSC. Herm emphasizes the constructive and trusting discussions at eye level with Sofian Chahed, the project manager on the part of Hertha BSC. The ex-professional from Berlin was the last two years as a trainer at Turbine Potsdam.
Chahed, who does not want to comment publicly before the contract is signed, stands for the seriousness and sustainability of Hertha BSC’s commitment to girls’ and women’s football – and for the sporting ambitions. After the takeover, the club wants to establish a performance culture, gradually develop the regional league team and move up from the third division to the Bundesliga. A goal that two other Berlin clubs are also emphatically pursuing with their women’s teams in the regional league: 1. FC Union and FC Viktoria, which has launched a unique female investor model.
Hertha BSC is practically in the starting blocks with its girls’ and women’s football project. Nothing is fixed yet. DFB, NOFV and BFV still have to agree to the takeover of the department of the “little” Hertha from Zehlendorf. But 03 president Kamyar Niroumand expects a positive result within the next three to four weeks.
The negotiated contract between Hertha BSC and Hertha 03 can possibly be signed in March. A contract that does not correspond to the desired solution of both clubs, but which those responsible at Hertha and Hertha also want to conclude in this form and fill with life because they are convinced that this will take girls’ and women’s football one step further in Berlin.
Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, March 7th, 2023, 3:15 p.m
