Interview with Ursula Reitemeyer (Head of Table Tennis at Borussia Dortmund): “Our goal is a Bella Figura”

The Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) will experience a premiere at the start of the season on Friday: for the first time, newly promoted Borussia Dortmund will play in the German elite class. In an interview ahead of the visit to Werder Bremen, department head Ursula Reitemeyer talks about the general conditions at such a well-known club, the rebuilding of the team and the aspirations for the debut season in the top flight.

Ursula Reitemeyer, Borussia Dortmund celebrates its premiere in the German Table Tennis League on Friday. Has the famous tingling sensation already started before the first TTBL match?

The tingling already started right after our championship in the second division. It's difficult as a newcomer, because you don't know the league, its conditions and framework. There is a lot of excitement mixed with a little uncertainty. In the second division, everything was well-rehearsed and routine prevailed. Now everything is new. Nevertheless, there is of course a great deal of anticipation.

Does the fact that the match with Werder Bremen is the season opener for the entire league play a role for your team? Is it a special honor?

We really do consider it a great honor that we, as promoted players, are allowed to play the first match of the entire league in the new season against a prominent opponent like Werder Bremen. We see it as an honor and a welcome from the TTBL.

BVB will not make its home debut in the top flight until September against ASC Grünwettersbach. Would you have preferred a home game for the premiere?

That's what we initially asked for, but BVB's organizational schedule is different to that of table tennis clubs. That's why it was ultimately better for us to have a few more days before the first home game. However, the club has come up with a lot of ideas for the home premiere. It should be a good opening for us, not least in our city.

Because a name is a commitment, many people have high expectations of Dortmund. What expectations does BVB have of itself in its first season in Germany's top division?

I hardly dare to make a prediction. However, we want to present ourselves as an ambitious team with interesting players, we want to show team spirit and thus take the spectators with us, or in a nutshell: Our goal in our first year is a Bella Figura. As Borussia Dortmund, you can lose and you don't have to win every game, but it always depends on how you perform and how you give it your all. Of course, we also want to have as little to do with relegation as possible. We want to bake small rolls, but still go into our games with a reasonable amount of self-confidence.

Which teams do you see as your biggest rivals in the battle to stay in the league?

The league appears to be very evenly matched, but traditionally the promoted teams are always named in response to this question, although I can imagine that other teams could also come into question. Our coach Evgeny Fadeev has even said that behind Borussia Düsseldorf and 1. FC Saarbrücken TT, anything from third to last place is possible for us.

You've replaced half of your promoted team and signed an experienced trio in the form of the two Olympians Anders Lind and Cedric Nuytinck as well as Li Yongyin from FSV Mainz 05, who were relegated from the TTBL. What strategy is BVB pursuing with this squad planning?

Without exception, we have highly committed players in our squad. Lind, for example, can basically beat anyone in our estimation, which can be worth a lot. Li played very well last season and is at an age where you don't get any worse. Nuytinck is an outstanding player despite his few appearances recently. All in all, we are probably the best left-handed team in the league. Without new signings, we wouldn't have been a serious promotion contender and our efforts last season would have made no sense at all.

Borussia has been considered a potential TTBL club for several years. After the last championship season in the second Bundesliga, what tipped the scales in favor of really taking the step to the top this time?

The championship was important because it allowed us to present our claim to the main club and the decision-makers in a completely different way to second place. Without the championship, we would certainly not have received the necessary support and budget, because only top performances count in a club like Borussia Dortmund. But the most important thing is the manpower we have. In the past, we have always had to fight because of our limited personnel resources and, contrary to what is often reported, not for financial reasons.

Dortmund can play in the Bundesliga and Champions League. Can BVB also do TTBL?

We very much hope so. We get all the necessary know-how and experts from soccer. But in my opinion, this is also a charm offensive for the entire club, which will have a positive effect on BVB's overall public image.

This begs the question: Is Dortmund's TTBL division self-supporting or do the “big” footballers have to lend a hand?

No, it is not possible for the table tennis section to support itself. In our case, the club allows for a certain deficit. However, unlike with an existing budget, it is not possible to save any money for the future. However, we hope to be able to generate our own income through higher spectator numbers and more sponsors so that we are not completely on the main club's back.

In the past, newcomers have often complained about the major structural differences between the conditions in the second Bundesliga on the one hand and the TTBL on the other. What experiences has Dortmund had in this respect so far?

I'll rely on the assessment of our coach: Evgeny Fadeev has been saying for weeks that everything is different now. But we still want to hold on to some processes or even rituals that strengthen the sense of togetherness in the team and between our players and fans.

Generally speaking, is the good sound of your club name an incentive or a burden?

Both. On the one hand, it is of course an incentive, because as a club we are also committed to top-class sport. But on the other hand, it also has to work to some extent when you take such a step - after all, we don't want to embarrass ourselves.

Thank you very much for the interview, Ms. Reitemeyer.

Interview: Florian Manzke

Featured image above: Ursula Reitemeyer (Photo: Ursula Reitemeyer)