42 points, third place – TSG 1899 Hoffenheim has become a top team. While this would cause hype elsewhere, many places remain empty at TSG. Nevertheless, there is an increase in spectators, but the club can’t do anything about it.
The joy was great. For the players, for whom it was their fifth win in the fifth game of the year, and of course also for the coach. “A perfect January,” said Christian Ilzer happily in his Austrian dialect. His TSG 1899 Hoffenheim team won 3-1 (2-0) against 1. FC Union – and confirmed their sporting high: 42 points and third place speak for themselves.
Hoffenheim, which achieved its seventh home win in a row and thus equaled the club record from 2017 under current national coach Julian Nagelsmann, is staying on course for the Champions League and is already six points ahead of the Europa League places.
“This season it is definitely possible to achieve something big,” said veteran Andrej Kramaric, who scored two goals against Union: “It is perhaps the best squad of the last ten years. I enjoy every single moment on the pitch.”
An average of 7,700 away fans per game
But as much as the players, coaches, supervisors and those in charge enjoy it, interest in TSG’s sometimes impressive achievements is currently manageable. Once again, the local arena was far from sold out. On Saturday only 19,341 spectators came to watch the game against Union – with a capacity of 30,150, 10,809 seats remained empty. And among the 19,341 stadium visitors present, there were also 1,500 who were against 1. FC Union.
The many empty seats could not be overlooked on Saturday – and were a recurring topic, as ARD radio broadcast the TSG home game during the Bundesliga conference. The reporter repeatedly mentioned the many unoccupied seats or rows. True to the motto: TSG causes a sporting sensation, but hardly anyone cares. When Hoffenheim won the catch-up game 2-0 during the week in Bremen, 570 kilometers away, they were accompanied by only around 150 supporters.
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And yet, despite the many empty seats, the top team formed by the Austrian Ilzer is recording an increase in spectators at home this season. On average, over 2,000 more spectators came to the first home games than in the previous season. An average of 25,800 spectators watched the ten games so far in the Hoffenheim Arena. However, the proportion of away fans is not insignificant.
Over 60,000 away fans have already visited Hoffenheim this season. 1. FC Cologne, Eintracht Frankfurt, HSV and FC Bayern alone were accompanied by more than 10,000 fans – 15,000 guest fans came to the game against Cologne, 12,000 against HSV and Eintracht, and 10,000 against Bayern. On average, TSG has 7,700 guest fans per game, although the official guest block (Block D/E) only has 2,866 seats.
When TSG coach Ilzer was asked about the lack of interest before the game against Union Berlin, the 48-year-old said: “We are certainly not the biggest family in German football, but we have an extremely loyal following. You noticed that in phases in which we were not successful. We still felt a great response.” The coach noted that the fans “have great joy when they watch us. I am extremely grateful for everyone who supports us, who is positive about us and cheers us on.”
Next Sunday (5:30 p.m.) the Hoffenheim team will play the top game against Bayern. It will be interesting to see how many supporters accompany them to this game. So far this season, TSG fans’ desire to travel has been limited – an average of just over 1,000 fans are away, which is lower than at any other Bundesliga club.
LaGa
