TSG reorganise sporting department

Directly after his appointment as managing director, Alexander Rosen announced his intention to share the responsibility for the sporting department among several people. “TSG Hoffenheim has operated with a streamlined organisation for years. But the challenges to be overcome both internally and externally have grown significantly and continuously during this time. We won’t inflate our structure in the future but we will adapt it moderately to the demands placed upon a modern and ambitious professional club,” explained Alexander Rosen, who is carrying a large proportion of the responsibilities he already held as the director of football over into his new role. “There are of course more responsibilities as a managing director. I’m looking forward to those, but they make it even more necessary for the sporting management to be broadened,” explained the 44-year-old manager.

Bastian Huber, who has already been working in a position of responsibility at TSG for four years, will take over the newly-created director position in the sporting department. The holder of an A-license, Huber has so far been responsible for scouting at the Bundesliga club. He will initially continue to perform this role. In addition, he will primarily take care of technical matters, optimise internal procedures and processes, and guarantee the already close and successful interlinking of the professional department with the academy.

“It is an enormous responsibility that has been handed to me,” acknowledged Bastian Huber, adding: “I’m happy about the trust and look forward to being able to shape the detailed work, which is so important for a professional club, in the background with the necessary meticulousness and calmness,” explained Huber. “Bastian Huber has already dealt with many topics in the past that extend far beyond scouting. He is held in high regard at TSG and also beyond thanks to the experience he has acquired through multi-faceted roles in football,” said Alexander Rosen, as he praised a “well-connected, communicative and strong personality”.

In his new position, Pirmin Schwegler will take on even more operational responsibility for sporting matters relating to the first team. In addition, the 36-year-old former professional player is set – together with Bastian Huber – to gradually take on more responsibility for transfers procedures, squad management and the leadership of the team around the first-team squad.

“I’m aware of the challenge and highly appreciate the fact that the club has entrusted me with such a broad and exciting range of responsibilities,” said the 14-time Switzerland international, who made 59 appearances for TSG Hoffenheim between 2014 and 2017. “It’s the next stage of development on my journey, which I would like to take with care and, above all, with the best-possible guidance. The fact that I will have the chance here at TSG to grow into a position of such responsibility in a calm but highly ambitious setting is a great privilege for me.”

“In a very short time, Permin has not only become familiar with numerous extremes in professional football but has also already made a strong mark in pressure situations. The clear objective is to develop him into the sporting director. He will find the best conditions for that at TSG,” said Alexander Rosen.

As already reported, Schwegler is not the only former TSG captain who is being prepared for a new role following the end of his professional career: Benjamin Hübner is completing an 18-month traineeship programme at the club’s headquarters and academy.

Maximilian Vollmar has been working as the team manager at TSG Hoffenheim since 2019. He will continue to fulfil the majority of that role but will move up to “Head of the Licensed Player Division”. “For many years – initially in Cologne and then in Hoffenheim – Max has networked well in professional football, possesses a wealth of experience and enjoys an outstanding reputation in the industry,” said Rosen of Vollmar, who in May 2022 successfully completed the ‘Management in Professional Football’ course launched by the DFB and DFL. “Another important building block for the optimisation of our department will be to make even greater use of his enormous skills in organisational and administrative procedures and also to hand more responsibility over to him in the process.”