“We can achieve many things” (neues-deutschland.de)

Turbine Potsdam has a new trainer, Sofian Chahed. How did this obligation come about?

After our previous trainer Matthias Rudolph, who works as a teacher, announced that he would not be available as a full-time coach until July 2021 at the earliest, we went on the search: two candidates then fit well, one of whom was Sofian Chahed. And sometimes in conversations it is the case that you sit opposite each other and quickly have the feeling that you are talking to a good friend. There was agreement on many points, and Sofian Chahed’s sporting ambitions fit us perfectly.

Was it a speculative application from Sofian Chahed?

No, he was one of the people recommended to us after asking about clubs in the region. Hertha BSC had recommended him and given the okay that we can turn to him.

Is this obligation the first consequence of the new cooperation with Hertha BSC that was announced on Tuesday?

No, I could do it afterwards, but it’s really a coincidence. There is no causal connection between the cooperation with the Berlin Bundesliga team that we have decided and the commitment of the coach.

How is the cooperation defined?

There is a contract that has been drawn up, the only problem now is the signature. But everything is so fixed in it that it really only depends on the signature.

How does turbine benefit from this?

Turbine Potsdam benefits above all from the financial contribution that Hertha BSC makes. Our cooperation is a creative implementation of Fritz Keller, the DFB president’s demand that all license clubs should do something for women’s football. Hertha BSC does not have its own women’s department, unlike 1. FC Union Berlin.

And what does Hertha BSC benefit from this cooperation?

For Hertha, it’s about corporate social responsibility. It is about a million dollar company voluntarily giving money for a social cause that it wants to promote. And when the DFB president says that promoting women’s football is such a task, Hertha BSC reacts and supports a club that already has a name that is known in Germany and Europe.

How much money is flowing from Berlin to Potsdam?

There is a famous sentence: Both contracting parties have agreed not to disclose the amount.

The mergers between women’s clubs and large men’s clubs have long since created a new balance of power in women’s football. Shouldn’t the “Turbiens” join the old lady in the long run?

No. The first consequence would be a new name. Then what should I call it – Turbine Hertha? Or Hertha turbine? Why should we give up the current situation? You can achieve a lot of things in a reasonable cooperation. We have now agreed to work together for three years and will surely check after two or two and a half years: will we continue? Is it worth it for everyone?

Back to the new coach, Sofian Chahed, ex-professional, 152 Bundesliga games at Hertha and Hannover 96. What can Turbine benefit the most from?

The most important thing is certainly his professional experience. But he also suits the team well in terms of age. I believe that he can give new impulses in terms of training intensity, processes or new ideas as a whole. We want him not only to act as the coach for the first team, but also to coordinate the performance teams U13, U15 and U17 in the Luftschiffhafen stadium and work closely with the other coaches.

Did you ask the player council before signing Sofian Chahed?

When it was clear that Matthias Rudolph was not going to continue, I informed the players and promised: Until you leave on vacation, we will have presented a new coach! Everyone agreed. We called the team early this morning at 9 a.m. and introduced Sofian Chahed. It was good. It has a refreshing way of approaching people. After the official greeting, I left the team and coach alone. I had the impression that it went very well: the players came out of the booth with correspondingly happy faces.

Turbine Potsdam is now one of the few pure women’s clubs in the Bundesliga. There is a photo of the extended club board on Turbine’s homepage: six men, one woman. When will more women be added?

Yes, that is the question, especially for the daily newspaper that you represent and that I read. I keep saying: it can only change if one of the women we speak to also wants to participate. We are currently in discussion with another candidate. We are trying to change the state gradually. My term of office lasts another year, maybe by then I will be able to win a successful entrepreneur who wants to join Turbine. I would definitely campaign for a woman.