Sportclub Verl is competing at the top of the 3rd Division. It’s both a blessing and a curse for the club. After all, success is known to attract attention. Rival teams are courting SCV’s key players.
17 games and 31 points—and more: 42 goals scored is a 3rd Division record, and 26 goals conceded ranks eighth-best. Sportclub Verl is undoubtedly one of the best teams in the 3rd Division and sits in third place.
Unlike at many traditional clubs, the word “promotion” isn’t off-limits at Poststraße. On the contrary: Sports Director Zlatko Janjic recently emphasized on “Magenta Sport”: “The next step for this group would be promotion.” He added to RS: “We certainly wouldn’t object to promotion.”
Janjic also knows what Tobias Strobl and his team are capable of: the experts agree—alongside Hoffenheim II and Stuttgart II, Verl plays the best soccer in the 3rd Division.
On Saturday (December 13, 4:30 p.m.), Rot-Weiss Essen will visit the Sportclub Arena. “We want to bounce back from the disappointing 2-2 draw in Havelse and continue our streak of nine consecutive unbeaten games,” Janjic said confidently.
The guys now also know that things could potentially be looking up—for SC Verl and for them personally. But, of course: If someone were to receive an irresistible offer that’s great for both the club and the player, then a reasonable solution must be found.
Zlatko Janjic
The fact that Essen’s coach, Uwe Koschinat, issued a challenge to Verl during his contract extension at the annual general meeting doesn’t bother the former RWE striker in the least. Janjic: “Whether someone issues a challenge or not, I don’t care. I’m always happy to emphasize this: There are no limits for this group; when we bring our full power onto the field, we’re very hard to beat.”
The competition is, of course, well aware of the strong team that coach Strobl, manager Janjic, and former sporting director Sebastian Lange—who currently serves as sporting director at SC Paderborn—have put together. Top players like Berkan Taz, Oualid Mhamdi, Timur Gayret, and Alessio Besio have long since attracted the interest of higher-division clubs both domestically and abroad.
“A few young guys have stepped into the spotlight here. But they’re also benefiting from the development of the entire team. It’s normal in this business for certain players to stand out individually. It’s part of the game that other clubs then get in touch. I’m prepared for that,” says Janjic.
The 39-year-old sporting director of Verler remains calm. He also knows that the club has always been a development club and has cemented this reputation even more clearly in recent years. “The good thing is that agencies approach us and offer us interesting players because they know that certain player profiles can develop very well here. We’ve really built up an excellent reputation in that regard,” Janjic says happily.
Janjic will have his hands full during the upcoming winter break. In the battle for promotion, the Verl official will have to fend off poaching attempts while simultaneously strengthening the squad for the future.
“Those are all my plans for the coming weeks and months. But we’re in a good position. The guys now also know that things could potentially move upward in parallel—for SC Verl and for them personally. But, of course: If someone were to receive an unbeatable offer that’s top-notch for both the club and the player, then we have to find a reasonable solution. We’ve done that in the past, for example with our captain Fabio Gruber when he moved to Nuremberg in the winter of 2025,” explains Janjic.
Janjic isn’t a big fan of winter transfers—he says: “I know the group very well; I’m a believer in not disrupting the group dynamic too much. But, of course: there will also be players who are unhappy. If we were to part ways with some of the guys, then we might also be able to make some moves ahead of the new season. We’ll see what happens in January 2026.”
