After more than a decade in the Regionalliga West, Rot-Weiß Oberhausen can once again dream of the third division. We spoke with CEO Marcus Uhlig.
After 18 match days, Rot-Weiß Oberhausen is just three points behind leaders Fortuna Cologne and has a realistic chance of winning the championship. This would, of course, also mean promotion to the 3rd league.
In a big Christmas interview, Forecasting spoke to RWO boss Marcus Uhlig about exciting topics relating to the red and white club.
Marcus Uhlig, how would you assess 2025 for Rot-Weiß Oberhausen from a sporting perspective?
The 2025 calendar year went very well from a sporting perspective. We earned over 60 points across the season and performed well in the cup. If we look at the table now, we see a promising position that leaves all options open for the second half of the season. We should also mention the continued positive development in our youth program and the successful relaunch of our second team. So we are celebrating Christmas with satisfaction. And in terms of economics and infrastructure: What were you and your team able to achieve in 2025? Quite a lot. We have completely revamped our sponsorship area and made a lot of changes here. New products, improved communication, more professionalism in implementation and support. As a result, a total of 35 new partners have joined us between the end of January and now. I stand by my statement: we will achieve our goal of having at least 150 RWO partners by the end of this season! In addition, we have been able to generate a lot of momentum in 2025 with regard to stadium expansion: both in terms of making the stadium suitable for the third division and in terms of planning a new canal grandstand. We have also initiated a number of changes in terms of marketing, image, presence in the city, and more. We will be going public with a holistic concept shortly. We have also developed a very good committee culture, with many committee representatives additionally involved in various working groups. That is going really well. We have made a number of changes to the stadium catering and have now also optimized it. And last but not least, we are currently in the process of reorganizing and consolidating all of RWO’s social activities. More information on this will also be available shortly.
Promotion, further economic progress, and positive progress on the stadium expansion issue
Marcus Uhlig’s Christmas wish list
Back to sports: You know the regional league like the back of your hand. The chance of promotion has never been greater, right?
I wouldn’t go that far, but the opportunity is definitely there. We are naturally delighted that we are now in such a good position after our mixed start, and it confirms that we were absolutely right to continue on our chosen path in the summer and to put our trust in our team. We remained calm, analyzed the problems together, then made a lot of the right adjustments and continued to work consistently.
What will ultimately decide whether you get promoted or not?
The number of points (laughs). If you want to be at the top at the end, you have to be able to win as many close games as possible, or even games where you’re not in top form. You need a stable defense, a certain amount of efficiency in attack, of course, and you should be spared major injury problems as far as possible. Can the fans look forward to further reinforcements of the caliber of Timur Mehmet Kesim? First of all, we are happy that we managed to get “Memo” back so well. Thanks again to everyone involved. Also to Hertha and Memo’s agency. It was all very professional. But now we should give him time and support him in getting back to his old RWO form. Otherwise, I don’t want to say too much publicly about our personnel planning. Especially since we have great confidence in the quality and character of our current team. But of course, we always keep an eye on the market. The future of coach Sebastian Gunkel remains uncertain: what is the current situation, what is still holding things up? We have already emphasized elsewhere that we are having very good and appreciative discussions about a possible extension of our collaboration. We have made it clear that we would very much like to shape and develop our future together with Sebastian and his team beyond the summer. I am quite optimistic that this will happen.
Be honest: after the weak start to the season, did you consider suspending the coach or sporting director Dennis Lichtenwimmer?
No, not for a second. And it wasn’t even discussed for a second in the committees. As you know, I strongly believe in continuing together on a path that we have embarked on together out of conviction, even in the face of resistance.
A quick word about the second team: they are on course for Kreisliga A. Recently, there have been rumors about the possible signing of RWE idols Kevin Grund and Marcel Platzek. Is there any truth in that?
Firstly, both players are currently under contract with RWE. Secondly, both teams are in a promising position in the table and have an important second half of the season ahead of them. For this reason alone, any public speculation about personnel is out of the question – even if the question may seem obvious, as it is no secret that we know each other well and have always stayed in touch.
While we’re on the subject of RWE, let’s assume that RWO is promoted to the 3rd division: would you prefer a league with Rot-Weiss Essen and MSV Duisburg or without them?
I’m already keeping my fingers crossed for RWE in the promotion race. But of course I would be happy to see RWO in the 3rd division, where we could play as many local derbies as possible.
Three wishes: If you had three wishes for RWO for 2026, what would they be?
Promotion, further economic progress, and positive progress on the stadium expansion.
