TSV Havelse will play on the road against Rot-Weiss Essen on Saturday (January 24, 2 p.m.). Forecasting spoke beforehand with TSV’s sporting director and player Florian Riedel.
Florian Riedel is the driving force behind TSV Havelse. Under the 35-year-old, the Lower Saxony-based club has been promoted and relegated twice in the last four years. In Havelse, everything seems to stand or fall with Riedel.
He is not only the sports director but also the executive director of the sports department, the managing director of the association, and a TSV professional player—all in one person. “Believe me: there’s a lot piling up in the office—I don’t know what boredom is,” he reveals.
At the moment, Riedel at least has a little less to do as a player. That’s because, unlike at the start of the season, he’s now just a substitute. “I could put it this way: Sports Director Riedel has done such a good job that he’s no longer needed as a player. I actually wanted to quit back in the summer. But after we were promoted to the 3rd League, the temptation was too great. Now I’m on my farewell tour. In the summer of 2026, I’ll definitely be done as a player,” the right back emphasizes.
On Saturday, Riedel will make his first stop on his farewell tour at Essen’s Hafenstraße. “Games against Rot-Weiss Essen at Hafenstraße are definitely among the highlights of the 3rd League. We’re really looking forward to it,” he says.
I played alongside Ahmet Arslan and often went on vacation with him. He’s a great guy and an outstanding soccer player! If he doesn’t get a chance to play, that says a lot about the quality of the RWE roster. They also have an experienced coach in Uwe Koschinat who can manage it all. The roles are clearly defined. Still, we want to try to pull off an upset at Hafenstraße.
Florian Riedel
Havelse has earned twelve points in its last seven matches and is unbeaten in four games. In the first leg, they drew 1-1 against RWE; now the promoted team is coming to Essen-Bergeborbeck with their heads held high.
“It wasn’t just our recent 4–0 win over Hoffenheim II that gave us confidence. Actually, we’ve been consistently picking up points since Matchday 13. What we said before the season is proving true: We have to find our feet in this 3rd League. We’ve managed to do that. Let’s see if we can also make up the ground we’ve fallen behind.” Because, of course, we’ve been carrying the burden of that poor start to the season,” explains Riedel, whose TSV Havelse currently trails the safety zone by six points.
The 3rd League is our Champions League!
Florian Riedel
TSV Havelse has the smallest budget in the 3. Liga and, for financial reasons, was also unable to hold a winter training camp. “We’ve been training in indoor soccer facilities. We’re approaching everything sensibly and know what we can and want to do—and what simply isn’t possible,” explains Riedel, adding: “The 3. Liga is the Champions League for us!”
It’s a different story for Rot-Weiss Essen: For RWE, the 3rd League is really just a stepping stone toward the 2nd Bundesliga. You can’t compare Havelse and Essen. TSV is the league’s underdog, while RWE is one of the big powerhouses.
But on the field, Saturday’s match could be a close one.
Riedel: “Anyone who’s followed our games can see that we’ve scored 29 goals. We’ve continued to develop and play boldly and fearlessly—we can’t do it any other way. We’ll be looking for our chance in Essen, too.”
And how does he assess Rot-Weiss Essen? Riedel’s answer: “I played alongside Ahmet Arslan and often went on vacation with him. He’s a great guy and an outstanding soccer player! If he doesn’t get playing time, that says a lot about the quality of the RWE roster. They also have an experienced coach in Uwe Koschinat who can manage it all. The roles are clearly defined. Still, we want to try to pull off an upset at Hafenstraße.
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