On January 5, 2025, the 18th NRW-Traditionsmasters will take place in the Westenergie SPORTHALLE MÜLHEIM. Rot-Weiss Essen will compete as the defending champion.
Timo Brauer is already hooked. The 34-year-old raves about the unique character of the tournament.
“The NRW-Traditionsmasters is not only perfectly organized, it is also a very attractive sporting event,” says the former professional. ”I was already told before my 2024 premiere that it is a great tournament. But when I walked into the Westenergie SPORTHALLE and saw what was going on there, I got goosebumps.”
The tournament is simply fun for every player, but also for all fans, who can be so close to the action like nowhere else.
Brauer is hoping for a derby against FC Schalke 04 again. In 2024, two of them could be won. In the group stage and the final. “I’m from Essen and we don’t exactly have a fan friendship with Schalke,” says Brauer. “That’s why it’s always nice to play these derbies, because there’s always that certain extra excitement in the game. This applies to a lot of the matches in the NRW-Traditionsmasters, when I think of MSV Duisburg or Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, for example. That’s what makes this tournament so special.”
What many people don’t know is that Brauer, who was born in Essen and has been an avowed RWE fan since he was a child, has a royal blue past himself. As a youth, Brauer went through the Schalke youth teams and also played under Schalke legend Norbert Elgert in the U19 team. “I admit it,” laughs Brauer. “Back then, the Blues were also playing in the Champions League. And Schalke was the ultimate in youth. Anyone who got the chance to go there went to the big players S04 or BVB for their own development. And for me it was S04.”
I believe that we will have a good and hot team again. But I also think that the other clubs will chase us and the competition will follow suit. The generational change that we have already initiated will also come to the other teams
Timo Brauer
But he will always be an Essener at heart. That’s why it was clear to him that he wanted to work for RWE again after the end of his professional career. “RWE signaled early on that they would like to involve me in the club and asked me how I would like to do it. This allowed me to complete my studies in sports business and sports management and return to Hafenstraße after my time in Lotte.” Since then, Timo Brauer, who played for RWE for a total of six years and captained the team back to the Regionalliga in 2011, can be found at the club’s office. He is part of the ‘team behind the team’ at RWE.
His responsibilities include maintaining business relationships as well as marketing and PR work. “Essen is my club, which of course provides extra motivation,” says Brauer, who is very much enjoying his new role. And what can supporters expect from Rot-Weiss Essen at the 18th NRW-Traditionsmasters? “Of course we want to defend the title,” says Brauer. “I believe that we will have a good and strong team again. But I also think that the other clubs will be hunting us down and the competition will follow suit. The generational change that we have already initiated will also come to the other teams.”
One thing is close to his heart: “Tradition also lives on for the next generation. We have all played for RWE, often for many years. It’s a lucky coincidence that we have so many players who identify with RWE and who all love the club.”
With cult goalkeeper Frank “Curtis” Kurth on the bench and players like Erwin Koen, at least 40 years of RWE history are covered. And just recently, 73-year-old Dieter Bast was back on the pitch for the traditional team from Rot-Weiss Essen. “That makes three generations of Rot-Weiss Essen,” laughs Brauer. ‘What’s much more important is that we’re all guys from Essen who love the club.’