Check out the German Bundesliga and you're in for a surprise.Whos topping the league?Not the traditional Bayern Munich.nor Werder Bremen or Leverkusen.Nay,not the dark horses Hertha, Hamburg, Schalke or Dortmund either.
Right at the very top is a team that, up until a few months ago, hardly anyone in the country had ever heard of. It is a squad from a tiny village in Germany's south-west halfway between Stuttgart and Frankfurt, population 3,200.
The story began back in the early 1990’s . At that time, the club was nothing more than an amateur village team turning out in the eighth tier of the German football league system.The club reached the Regionalliga Sud (third tier) by basing their team on players developed through the club’s youth setup, and proceeded to attain respectable finishing positions in each of their first four seasons in the division.They finished 2nd in the third division in 06/07,and in the secnd division in 07/08.
It is a success story the likes of which Germany has never seen: Within just a few years, 1899 Hoffenheim has rocketed from regional league obscurity to its current status as one of the elite teams in the country. Football fans from all over Europe are now rooting for the club, attracted by its fairy tale rise up the table. A new book about the club has recently come out called "The Miracle of Hoffenheim," and the title's reference to Germany's dramatic 1954 World Cup victory -- known as the Miracle of Bern -- doesn't even feel overstated.
There are, of course, some detractors. As one might expect, the team's progress has been helped along by money -- a lot of money. Dietmar Hopp, a co-founder of the software giant SAP, has invested millions of euros in the team in recent years, allowing it to go on a shopping spree for players that could help it to the next level.
Still, comparing Hoffenheim to other clubs who have lucked into money -- such as Chelsea, which was purchased by Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich in 2003, or Manchester City, bought up by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi this year -- is off the mark. For one, rather than going after players the calibre of Robinho (brought in by Manchester City for €40 million) or spending hundreds of millions on the transfer market like Chelsea, Hoffenheim has gone for youth and potential.and previously unheard of players.Anyone heard of Demba Ba from Belgium,or Chinedu Obasi from Norway?
or Vedad Ibišević (pic,left), the Bosnian who they signed last season from a club named Alemannia Aachen(???!!! wtf) ,a player who has beaten the likes of Klose, Luca Toni, Ribery, Podolski and Schweinsteiger to the top of the scorer charts in the league.I am already a fan.
There is also another important difference: Dietmar Hopp actually comes from Hoffenheim, and once played on the team back when it was little more than the local village club. Now, Hopp owns 49 percent of the team, the maximum allowed under German league rules. And he is building a new stadium. The current village stadium, capacity 6,000, is much too small for a Bundesliga team, meaning Hoffenheim has thus far played its home games in nearby Mannheim. The new building, which will be finished early next year, will seat 10 times the population of Hoffenheim.
(Data taken from various football sites)
Right at the very top is a team that, up until a few months ago, hardly anyone in the country had ever heard of. It is a squad from a tiny village in Germany's south-west halfway between Stuttgart and Frankfurt, population 3,200.
The story began back in the early 1990’s . At that time, the club was nothing more than an amateur village team turning out in the eighth tier of the German football league system.The club reached the Regionalliga Sud (third tier) by basing their team on players developed through the club’s youth setup, and proceeded to attain respectable finishing positions in each of their first four seasons in the division.They finished 2nd in the third division in 06/07,and in the secnd division in 07/08.
It is a success story the likes of which Germany has never seen: Within just a few years, 1899 Hoffenheim has rocketed from regional league obscurity to its current status as one of the elite teams in the country. Football fans from all over Europe are now rooting for the club, attracted by its fairy tale rise up the table. A new book about the club has recently come out called "The Miracle of Hoffenheim," and the title's reference to Germany's dramatic 1954 World Cup victory -- known as the Miracle of Bern -- doesn't even feel overstated.
There are, of course, some detractors. As one might expect, the team's progress has been helped along by money -- a lot of money. Dietmar Hopp, a co-founder of the software giant SAP, has invested millions of euros in the team in recent years, allowing it to go on a shopping spree for players that could help it to the next level.
Still, comparing Hoffenheim to other clubs who have lucked into money -- such as Chelsea, which was purchased by Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich in 2003, or Manchester City, bought up by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi this year -- is off the mark. For one, rather than going after players the calibre of Robinho (brought in by Manchester City for €40 million) or spending hundreds of millions on the transfer market like Chelsea, Hoffenheim has gone for youth and potential.and previously unheard of players.Anyone heard of Demba Ba from Belgium,or Chinedu Obasi from Norway?
or Vedad Ibišević (pic,left), the Bosnian who they signed last season from a club named Alemannia Aachen(???!!! wtf) ,a player who has beaten the likes of Klose, Luca Toni, Ribery, Podolski and Schweinsteiger to the top of the scorer charts in the league.I am already a fan.
There is also another important difference: Dietmar Hopp actually comes from Hoffenheim, and once played on the team back when it was little more than the local village club. Now, Hopp owns 49 percent of the team, the maximum allowed under German league rules. And he is building a new stadium. The current village stadium, capacity 6,000, is much too small for a Bundesliga team, meaning Hoffenheim has thus far played its home games in nearby Mannheim. The new building, which will be finished early next year, will seat 10 times the population of Hoffenheim.
(Data taken from various football sites)
3 comments:
there was this amazing article i read (i think in RD) about a New Zealand crew, and some race they took part in. Infrastructure-wise they were pathetic; but yet they won (internationally).
I tried searching for it on the web, but couldn't find it.
You read it?
No I havnt..which sport?some yacht race thing?
i guess...
they had a really interesting way of selecting the crew. One guy'd select another. And then those two would vote for the 3rd, and them 3 would vote for the next etc.
Another interesting thing was that when one guy tried out for it, during his interview, the main skipper guy didn't ask him a thing about sailing; just general stuff. After the interview when he got selected, the guy was like: "you can learn how to handle a boat any time; you need to be able to handle humans."
Still, couldn't find the story with this much input...
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