Interview with Bastian Steger (TSV Bad Königshofen): “Actually, everyone has to play at their limit all the time”

After two consecutive playoff appearances, TSV Bad Königshofen unexpectedly found itself fighting to avoid relegation during the regular season. In this interview, TSV’s star player Bastian Steger talks about his emotions following the team’s survival, the lessons his club learned from the nail-biting battle, and his future career plans.

Bastian Steger, TSV Bad Königshofen and you have just come through a weeks-long battle against relegation with a happy ending. Looking back on this difficult situation with some distance, what emotions are you feeling?

Yes, it was indeed a tense situation for the entire club, not knowing whether we could even manage to stay in the league on the one hand, and whether there would be a promoted team or not on the other. There were a lot of unknowns, and that naturally makes planning difficult. Which league and which season do you plan for? That made it extremely difficult for the entire club, but I think we handled it quite well overall.

What was the immediate reaction when the news broke that the second-division champion, TSV Windsbach, had declined promotion?

Of course, there was a sense of relief. Anything could still have happened. That’s why we were naturally relieved to have the certainty of staying in the first division. Even though the rumors had been swirling in the days leading up to it and we could already sense it was coming, some of us might have even celebrated with a beer to mark the fact that we’d made it.

The TSV and you had already managed to improve your situation a bit just before Windsbach’s decision, thanks to the victory in the “relegation decider” against ASC Grünwettersbach. Does that win still hold any significance?

It was definitely important for us to win a game like that. It was important for the whole club that we could say we did it on our own; that has a certain value and gave us the feeling that, even in this difficult situation, we still managed to win such an important game. It’s always very important for the players and for the whole club to get through such difficult phases.

Looking back on the season now: What was the reason for that?

We might have had a bit more luck in the year or two before that than our actual level of play would have warranted. There were wins back then, either because Jin Ueda played well or because top teams didn’t always field their strongest lineups against us. That’s just how the league is—anything can happen. You wouldn’t have thought Grünwettersbach could slip all the way to the bottom, either. But the league is full of surprises; anything is possible, from nearly making the playoffs to relegation.

Just before your crucial match against Grünwettersbach, the official announcement came that long-time TSV head coach Koji Itagaki was stepping down. Did the coaching situation weigh on the team, which was surely aware of the situation?

The issue didn’t bother us players or the team. We simply tried to focus on the games and finish the season with Koji as well as possible, because we owe him a great deal. If things had already been going wrong beforehand, or if there had been a lack of team spirit or harmony, we wouldn’t have managed a victory like the one against Grünwettersbach.

What lessons are the TSV and you drawing from the past season?

Daniel Habesohn, Filip Zeljko, Andre Bertelsmeier, and I are staying, but the question right now is whether anyone else will join us or not. We’re considering our options. It also remains to be seen whether Xu Fei will be back.

Finally, regarding your personal situation: You have one year left on your contract, and after turning 45 last March, you’re already a contender for the record as the oldest Bundesliga player. Could next season turn into a farewell tour for you, like last season was for Timo Boll?

I just really enjoy continuing to play. In Bad Königshofen, with the fans and the atmosphere we always have at the matches, it’s a lot of fun—and when you win matches, it’s even more so. It would be a different situation if I weren’t winning anything at all; then it probably wouldn’t be as much fun anymore. But sometimes I’m surprised myself that things are still going so well. It’s hard to say how long that will last. As things stand today, I’d say I could keep going a little longer. Looking purely at my record, I think I’ve played quite well. You can’t necessarily expect that at my age. That’s why I don’t plan to retire in 2027.

Thank you very much for the interview, Bastian Steger.

Florian Manzke