"The TTBL will do something with us": Mainz sports boss Kasica is full of anticipation

At FSV Mainz 05, the team and management are eagerly anticipating their debut in the Tischtennis Bundesliga (TTBL). In an interview, sporting director Tomasz Kasica describes the differences between his club and previous promoted teams, talks about the objectives and describes the links with the club's Bundesliga footballers.

Tomasz Kasica, not so long ago FSV Mainz 05 characterized itself as a training club. Does that mean your team's upcoming premiere season in the top flight is better dubbed "Abenteuer Bundesliga" or under a new project name?

We have played very intensively in the 2nd division with good success and have recently finished a season in the top two three times. In our conceptual discussions, the main club signaled to us that this should not have been the maximum yet. In fact, the Bundesliga is more of an adventure for the time being, because we will continue to compete with young players who are capable of development. You can also say: In the 2nd Bundesliga we have understood how it works and now we are curious about the TTBL.

In view of this, how realistic do you think it is to stay in the class of the German Table Tennis League (TTBL)?

That's a goal, of course. But it's more important to us that our players continue to develop and that everyone learns to adapt to the rigors of the Bundesliga. Basically, we want to try to inspire. The Bundesliga is a huge opportunity, because the Bundesliga will do something with us.

So the example of other newcomers who have since been relegated doesn't deter you?

Most clubs have followed a different philosophy. Mainz 05 is more team-oriented. One of the main features in the requirements profile for any player is that he has to fit in with us on a human level. But the club also made it clear in our conceptual discussions that we should and can stabilize ourselves regardless of class.

No one in Mainz makes any secret of the financial backing from Bundesliga soccer. Couldn't that have significantly increased your chances of staying in the league by signing several experienced players?

We could have done that - but then we wouldn't have had the support of the soccer players. Our concept is a good one, but if it had been bad, the soccer team wouldn't have gone along with it. For us, the players have to have potential and fit in character-wise. Without these parameters, we wouldn't have brought in our new top player, Yuto Muramatsu, despite his Bundesliga experience.

Table tennis departments at other clubs in the Bundesliga sometimes declare a certain dependence on the footballers. What is the constellation like in Mainz?

We are not only the famously different club in soccer. There is currently a window of opportunity for the footballers to support other departments in the club, and we as the table tennis department are fortunate to have entered precisely this phase. In table tennis, there is a quantum leap between second and first division from semi-professionalism to full profitability. This first step would actually not have been possible without the soccer players. Of course, we also benefit in general from the professional expertise of the soccer players and the structures in the office. But in the meantime, we are also attracting the interest of sponsors through our work and have more public attention.

In soccer, Mainz sometimes staples on the label "carnival club" in allusion to the great importance of winter customs in the city with thoroughly positive attributes. Will that also suit your team in table tennis?

We hope for a mixed audience with fans who are interested in table tennis, of course, on the one hand, and in top sports in the region in general on the other. This will certainly include our famous "carnival fans", also because we are planning one or the other encounter and action in our stadium beyond our team presentation.