The Essen Indoor City Championship kicks off next weekend. The co-organizers are very much looking forward to the fun.
From Saturday, January 6, 2024, the 28th edition of the Essen Indoor City Championship will start at 9.30 am. This time with a novelty: the top and regional league teams don’t have to struggle through the qualifying round, they automatically qualify for the intermediate round.
“There was no other way. We do this for organizational reasons due to the limited amount of hall time available to us. Otherwise, there would simply have been too many games for us to schedule,” explains Günther Oberholz, who organizes the Essen Indoor City Championships together with Bernd Müller, Michael Bierbüsse and Wilfried Tönneßen.
Oberholz and Co. are delighted that the Essen amateur football scene is once again coming together at the start of the year in the sports hall at Hallo in Stoppenberg. “This get-together is always great. And at the Sportpark am Hallo, you also have the opportunity to sit down and chat in peace. The atmosphere was hot in Bergeborbeck, but you always had to think twice about getting up and giving up your seat (laughs). The solution of playing all the games at the Hallo is perfect,” says Oberholz.
For the final weekend – on January 20 and 21, 2024 – of the 28th Essen Indoor City Championships, Oberholz is counting on the usual suspects, but also has two secret favorites on his list.
“Of course, you have to mention Spielvereinigung Schonnebeck at the top of the list. They already have a strong team and always do well. But ETB, who didn’t cover themselves in glory last year, should also be mentioned as an Oberliga team. The same goes for Adler Union Frintrop. And, of course, the regional league teams are always well represented, as are the district league teams such as Katernberg and Burgaltendorf,” says Oberholz, naming his favorites.
He adds: “But I would also like to mention teams like A-league team Fatihspor or B-league team Rot-Weiss Essen II. Stefan Lorenz is an absolute indoor fan and will have a lot planned. And: these teams certainly have five or six good players. We are looking forward to an exciting and fair tournament in a great family atmosphere