From depression to a spirit of optimism, Preetz tackles structural deficits

In the summer, MSV Duisburg was at rock bottom. Now, everyone is tackling the task of rebuilding – including the fans. Managing director Michael Preetz is proud and satisfied.

In the summer, MSV Duisburg was at rock bottom. After being relegated from the 3rd division, the club had to rebuild and reinvent itself. MSV managing director Michael Preetz stayed on board and is now – just a few months after the crash – optimistic about the future of the traditional club.

In a video interview on the club’s own channels, however, he admitted that the speed of the club’s recovery since the summer had not been expected: “When we think back to the summer, I felt almost like a depression around the club. Now we have an interim result that is great. But it’s a snapshot, as they say. In just a few weeks, we have managed to instill a sense of confidence in the city that was not necessarily to be expected after the relegation.”

Among other things, an almost completely new squad had to be created, with Dietmar Hirsch coming in as a new coach. Nevertheless, the Meiderich-based club are top of the league after nine match days, and are currently only in second place because Fortuna Cologne’s game at Türkspor Dortmund has already been awarded to Cologne 2-0.

The spectators have also accepted the new MSV. Preetz: “That makes me proud. Proud of the people in the city. I immediately sensed that there is a close bond between the MSV and the people in the city. I didn’t expect these numbers. We were 6,000 people in Gütersloh, and over 18,000 fans were there for the first home game. We have managed to create a sense of optimism. This mood carries us.”

While the team delivers and ‘will surely get even better,’ as Preetz hopes, he and his colleagues can work on making MSV fit for the future. ‘That will be the next big step,’ emphasizes the former professional in the interview.

I’ve heard about the famous structural deficit here from day one

Michael Preetz

His message: “We are moving the MSV – I hope sustainably in the right direction. The goal must be to put the MSV on a healthy footing in the long term. I heard about the famous structural deficit here from day one.”

And this deficit must be tackled. This also applies to the new board, which has only been in office for a few weeks. Preetz: “We have to succeed in precisely identifying this deficit. We are currently actively working on this. So far, we have managed to improve cooperation between the committees to a certain extent. We will try to find answers to the questions together. We are trying to create a concept that must ultimately provide an answer. How will MSV manage to minimize this structural deficit? And how will we manage to lead MSV into a sustainable and positive economic future? We have to move from a passive role, where we are always just filling and plugging gaps, to an active role, where we develop ideas and concepts that are forward-looking.”