What do Andre Hahn, Terrence Boyd and Egon Coordes have in common? They all played for the Leher TS youth side and later went on to have successful professional careers. Now it’s the first team that is about to have its time in spotlight, as the non-league side host FC Köln in the first round of the DFB Cup on August 12th.
The Leher TS clubhouse was packed to the rafters as the draw was made back in June, as 200 people filled the Bremenhaver Tavern. 160 Litres of sponsor beer was consumed that evening as the team and the club celebrated into the evening. The joy when Köln were drawn as the first round opponents was widespread. “It’s a dream come true,” said team manager Steffan Wolfraum. “Köln have a terrific fan culture,” he added. Coach Dennis Ley added: „FC Köln are a Bundesliga club with a lot of tradition, they had a great season last year and have reached the Europa League.“
Almost entire squad from the youth team
The team from Leher had quite an adventurous road to the regional cup, after defeating Bremer SV on penalties. “We always said we would love to play them and now it’s become a reality,” said Wolfram. Winning the Bremen cup was the high point of a fantastic development. “We were playing in the district league only four years ago.
Leher are now a fifth tier side, and finished eighth last season. The secret to success has been the 1500 members of the youth team. The manager reckons 90% of the players have come from the youth set up.
Hahn and co: Stepping stone for Bundesliga players
Leher TS have long had the reputation as a production line. Former Bundesliga players Egon Coordes and Rolf Kaemmer started in the TS youth team. Current stars Andre Hahn (Hamburg), Gerrit Holtmann (Mainz) and Terrence Boyd (Darmstadt) also once plied their trade. Boyd was coached by Dennis Ley in the reserve team, and Ley is today responsible for the youngsters in the region. The work of the head coach is highly treasure: „He is a super coach, has a licence and is great at what he does,” said Wolfram.
There’s no money to be earned from Leher either. In fact, quite the opposite: The players even pay their own club membership. “As a result of that the boys are surrounded by a super environment,” said the manager. “We’ve got pitches and artificial turf here. The first team have a small cabin where their newly washed clothes can be laid out. The way we work will hopefully see us move to a high level. As a result the players must live with not being paid a penny.”
Stadium change
The Pokal tie will take place in the Nordseestadion. 15 criteria needed to be fulfilled to let the tie be played in the Leher’s home ground. Fences would have had to have been put up. “It was all just too expensive, but hopefully the gate receipts will help us to retain something for the club,” said Wolfram. “The most important thing is that our players have a fantastic experience. They should feel like pros for the day.”
It will be a new experience for all the players to perform in front of about 6,000 fans. “None of our players have played in a higher league before,” added the Manager. At the moment, he can only dream of a win. “That would be foolish to think about. I only hope that the whole day turns out to be a festival of football for all of Bremerhaven.”
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What do Andre Hahn, Terrence Boyd and Egon Coordes have in common? They all played for the Leher TS youth side and later went on to have successful professional careers. Now it’s the first team that is about to have its time in spotlight, as the non-league side host FC Köln in the first round of the DFB Cup on August 12th.
The Leher TS clubhouse was packed to the rafters as the draw was made back in June, as 200 people filled the Bremenhaver Tavern. 160 Litres of sponsor beer was consumed that evening as the team and the club celebrated into the evening. The joy when Köln were drawn as the first round opponents was widespread. “It’s a dream come true,” said team manager Steffan Wolfraum. “Köln have a terrific fan culture,” he added. Coach Dennis Ley added: „FC Köln are a Bundesliga club with a lot of tradition, they had a great season last year and have reached the Europa League.“
Almost entire squad from the youth team
The team from Leher had quite an adventurous road to the regional cup, after defeating Bremer SV on penalties. “We always said we would love to play them and now it’s become a reality,” said Wolfram. Winning the Bremen cup was the high point of a fantastic development. “We were playing in the district league only four years ago.
Leher are now a fifth tier side, and finished eighth last season. The secret to success has been the 1500 members of the youth team. The manager reckons 90% of the players have come from the youth set up.
Hahn and co: Stepping stone for Bundesliga players
Leher TS have long had the reputation as a production line. Former Bundesliga players Egon Coordes and Rolf Kaemmer started in the TS youth team. Current stars Andre Hahn (Hamburg), Gerrit Holtmann (Mainz) and Terrence Boyd (Darmstadt) also once plied their trade. Boyd was coached by Dennis Ley in the reserve team, and Ley is today responsible for the youngsters in the region. The work of the head coach is highly treasure: „He is a super coach, has a licence and is great at what he does,” said Wolfram.
There’s no money to be earned from Leher either. In fact, quite the opposite: The players even pay their own club membership. “As a result of that the boys are surrounded by a super environment,” said the manager. “We’ve got pitches and artificial turf here. The first team have a small cabin where their newly washed clothes can be laid out. The way we work will hopefully see us move to a high level. As a result the players must live with not being paid a penny.”
Stadium change
The Pokal tie will take place in the Nordseestadion. 15 criteria needed to be fulfilled to let the tie be played in the Leher’s home ground. Fences would have had to have been put up. “It was all just too expensive, but hopefully the gate receipts will help us to retain something for the club,” said Wolfram. “The most important thing is that our players have a fantastic experience. They should feel like pros for the day.”
It will be a new experience for all the players to perform in front of about 6,000 fans. “None of our players have played in a higher league before,” added the Manager. At the moment, he can only dream of a win. “That would be foolish to think about. I only hope that the whole day turns out to be a festival of football for all of Bremerhaven.”
