On November 26, 2023, Bob Hanning’s dream came true. Lasse Ludwig, 21 years old, and Max Beneke, who is one year younger, only played for Füchse Berlin in the Bundesliga from 3 p.m. After the jersey change at 6 p.m., he became the leader of the VfL Potsdam second division team. Ludwig said he ate muesli and oatmeal between performances in the Max Schmeling Hall. Apparently a good meal, as he stopped 17 shots in the second game.
Handball Germany is amazed at Hanning’s long-term project. As managing director of the Füchse and coach of the Potsdam team, the 55-year-old has started an unprecedented rotation machine. Thanks to the right to play twice, the Füchse can play in Potsdam and with their own A-youth team. There are further possible opportunities for the Füchse team in the Third League North/East. The Potsdam A-youth also competes in the Bundesliga. This creates a unique circle of talent. Hanning says: “We mix world leaders with young talent.”
The surprising thing is that no team is left out – the Foxes are tied for second place in the Bundesliga with Magdeburg. As a newcomer to the second league, Potsdam is surprisingly in a promotion place. The Füchse A youth team and the second team are also at the top of their leagues.
The big shuffle
No other club relies so credibly on Generation Z. This is a necessity, explains Hanning: “If we didn’t have the young talent, we wouldn’t be able to afford world handball stars like Mathias Gidsel and Lasse Andersson.” Because financially, the Berliners are in a big position A bit behind Kiel and also behind Magdeburg and Flensburg.
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The big shuffle began this season in September and October with the Foxes’ bad luck with injuries. Paul Drux was already gone, Fabian Wiede and Max Darj were out, Jacob Holm was sold in the summer. Coach Jaron Siewert’s group melted. With sports director Stefan Kretzschmar, Hanning thought about a well-known new signing. They decided against it – because there wasn’t enough money and because they were convinced of the successors.
Fortunately, Siewert’s squad included six U-21 world champions from the summer. Some like Nils Lichtlein had already had a taste of the pros. Now they played. And they played a lot. In the Bundesliga, the DHB Cup, the European League – but stop! Hanning says: “Every player has a training plan that is tailored specifically to him. I alone decide who plays where. No Jaron Siewert or Stefan Kretzschmar will do that.” Nobody should be burned to death. Goalkeeper Ludwig says: “It’s not the games that are tiring, it’s the travel.” There were mostly breaks in the European League, where the Foxes once left all their regular players out and had a better A youth team.
Dual task: Bob Hanning is managing director at Füchse Berlin and coach at VfL Potsdam: Image: dpa
Actually, the people of Potsdam should have been the victims of this situation; Many players who now had to play in the Bundesliga are their strongest players, such as Max Beneke, the best shooter in the second division. But so far the calculation is working out. “I’m happy about everyone who comes to training,” says Hanning with a laugh. So far, there has been no noticeable drop in performance for the frequent players Ludwig and Beneke. Hanning’s contribution to Potsdam’s soaring heights is large. The young players hang on his every word.
As a coach, says Hanning, he is excited about VfL, and as a managing director he is excited about the Füchse. What he will definitely not do: “delegate” first division players downwards in the crucial phase of the season in order to secure Potsdam’s promotion. But if VfL wins the next three games, they will be ready for the first division anyway. Or? Hanning answers: “No. We are not. You have to say that quite realistically. As VfL Potsdam, our structures are not ready for the Bundesliga and we depend on the Foxes’ money. A promotion would throw our entire Berlin handball house into disarray.”
Frank Heike, Hamburg Published/Updated: Recommendations: 5 Christian Kamp, Munich Published/Updated: Recommendations: 1 Frank Heike Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2
But of course Bob Hanning doesn’t want to see his club conglomerate as a victim of his own success. When defense chief Marsenic hugged regular second division player Maxim Orlov at the Füchse cup game in Bietigheim on Tuesday evening and gave him tips on how to stand, Hanning’s heart soared. Even the established Füchse professionals are now convinced of the Berlin model – partly for selfish reasons, because it gives even the most frequent players a break.
