TUS Essen-West 81 will be playing in the Kreisliga A next season. However, the Essen club does not want to stay in this division for too long.

A disappointing district league season ended for TuS Essen-West 81 last Sunday in penultimate place in the table. Relegation was already certain two weeks earlier, but the 4-1 defeat at the hands of ESC Preußen saw the West side slip even further to 15th place.

Despite the bitter relegation, the personnel planning for the upcoming district league team is already very advanced. Sporting director Kevin Puhan announced eight additions and 17 departures on Thursday (08 June). Even before the team’s relegation, Puhan emphasised that the team’s competence and coaching team would remain almost completely the same, regardless of the league. The only change will be in the goalkeeper coach position in Essen-West 81: Marco Portz succeeds Christian Baltus.

Overall, the TuS sports director is satisfied with the current state of squad planning. There are only three or four vacant positions that are to be filled soon: “17 departures sound like a big upheaval, of course, but you have to know that there are a lot of players who didn’t play any role at all. Maybe our squad was too big. Not mass is class, as they say. We have definitely learned that this year. We see ourselves well equipped for the coming district league season. The squad is very balanced in terms of age and experience.”

The goal of the Westerners is clear: the mission of promotion begins with the start of training on 02 July. TuS Essen-West 81 wants to return to the Bezirksliga as quickly as possible – even if that will not be an easy undertaking.

You can’t plan for promotion, but we want to attack again! We hope for a successful season and then want to fill the dream of promotion with life.

Kevin Puhan

The 35-year-old Puhan is eager to attack: “You can’t plan for promotion, but we want to attack again! We hope for a successful season and want to fill the dream of promotion with life.