Preußen Münster has completed a perfect first half of the season. Both the Regionalliga and Oberliga teams are in first place. The sports director can be satisfied.
Great work is being done at SC Preußen Münster! There is no other way to describe the results of the club’s four most important teams.
Both the U17 and U19 Bundesliga teams still have realistic chances of staying in the highest junior division. The U23s are top of the table in the Oberliga Westfalen and the professionals are well on their way to returning to the 3. Liga after three years.
The SCP is eight points ahead of the competition in the Regionalliga West. RevierSport spoke to Peter Niemeyer, the architect of sporting success in Münster.
Peter Niemeyer, how do you assess the 2022 season from SC Preußen Münster’s point of view?
Sporting success is primarily a result of the structures we have created. We have created the foundations at many levels on which sporting success can take place. We can be very proud of that and especially against this background it was a good year for us.
What did you particularly like?
I particularly like the fundamental development of the club and the team. Preußen Münster is perceived differently again, the positive resonance in and around the club is noticeable everywhere. A lot of people have played their part in the way the city and the entire region look at SC Preußen. This is then also reflected in the extraordinary spectator numbers and the great identification of the fans with their club.
This simply shows how big Preußen Münster still is and how important the club is to the people. I’m also very happy about the many kids who stand by the fences in the Preußen stadium after the final whistle and cheer for the players. That’s unparalleled in the Regionalliga nationwide.
Peter Niemeyer
While last season only the goal difference decided who was promoted and who wasn’t, Preußen are now the clear league leaders, including the best attack and the best defence. What else can go wrong?
I can still remember very well the feeling of standing on the pitch empty-handed after the last home game against Köln II. That drives me personally – but also everyone else at the club – incredibly. I don’t think about whether something can go wrong. I only think about what we can achieve together.
Is the resurgent Wuppertaler SV now the only serious contender?
Wuppertal, Gladbach, Kaan-Marienborn, Rödinghausen, Fortuna Köln, Aachen, Oberhausen: There are many very good teams in this league, each of which tries to get the maximum out of it. That also applies to us, of course, and that’s why we’re well advised to look at ourselves first and foremost.
How important would a third league return be for the SCP after three years?
Very many people – whether fans, staff, supporters or partners – have invested a great deal in this goal over the last few years. For all of them, it would be the well-deserved reward of hard work.
More than 8,000 spectators make the pilgrimage to the home games. How satisfied are you with the fans, with the support?
I’m not only enthusiastic about the home games. An above-average number of fans also accompany us away from home and regularly turn the away games into home games for us. That pushes us tremendously. You can see how big Preußen Münster still is and how important the club is to the people. I’m also very happy about the many kids who stand by the fences in the Preußen stadium after the final whistle and cheer for the players. That is unparalleled in the regional league nationwide.
At any point during the season did you have the feeling that the goal of promotion could be in jeopardy?
I never feel that we can lose anything. I get up in the morning and believe that we can win something. The team also wins close games, gladly right before the end. Or a crazy game like the one in Wattenscheid. Is it currently the case that you are also very relaxed out there because the boys are so mentally strong?
Of course you also suffer sometimes. But it makes me proud above all how focused the boys are on and off the pitch. We wanted to have exactly these hungry and success-driven boys in the summer.
Are there any players you would like to highlight after this half-season?
Yes, the guys who were behind at times and still always kept the focus. And who then delivered again sooner or later on the pitch. I would also like to single out Manfred Kwadwo and Dennis Daube, who have been injured for a very long time. It impresses me to see how much they invest to return to the team.
But there are also guys like Darius Ghindovean who can’t be satisfied. Is it possible that there will be changes to the squad in the winter – both in terms of arrivals and departures?
I have spoken to Darius, we both know where we stand. We will see how things develop. Nothing is ruled out.
With this lead, maybe we can already plan a little bit for the new 2023/2024 season?
Of course we plan early. But not specifically for one league.
Another question: In the event of promotion, to what extent would the squad have to be changed in order to survive in League Three?
Too much subjunctive.
Are SC Preußen planning a winter training camp?
No.
Let’s take a look into the crystal ball: Christmas 2023, in which league, on which place in the table do you see Preußen Münster?
When I look into the crystal ball at Christmas 23, I would like to see the following: Developed players making their way in higher leagues. Young talent from our youth making their first steps with the 1st team. Progress in the development of the performance centre and the stadium renovation.