Rot-Weiss Essen has been missing from the list of participants in Essen’s indoor city championship for a long time. That will change in the upcoming edition.
The winter break is approaching – and with it the indoor season. In Essen, the city championship begins on the first weekend of January, with the group draw taking place this Wednesday (7 p.m.). For the first time in over ten years, Rot-Weiss Essen will be in the draw.
After a long absence, RWE has decided to enter the tournament with its second team from the Kreisliga B. “It’s also about sending a signal as the highest-ranked club, even if we’re coming with our reserves,” explains RWE II coach Stefan Lorenz. “I think it’s great and I’m really looking forward to the indoor season.”
The fact that the Rot-Weissen’s abstention in recent years was not well received everywhere did not escape the attention of the Bergeborbeckers. That is why they decided back in the summer to compete with the Kreisliga team. It’s a plan that is supported by the management team around CEO Marcus Uhlig, says Lorenz.
The spectator interest in the already popular tournament is likely to grow even more with RWE’s participation. At least for the first two weekends, the 3rd league is still on break, which is why Lorenz would be happy if one or two fans came to support the second team in the hall.
Many players and officials from the other participating teams are RWE fans,” he adds, ”although many amateur teams view us critically as a second team and are likely to be particularly motivated when playing against us.”
A glance at the table shows that Essen is no ordinary B-league team and has significantly more resources than its competitors: Lorenz’s team leads Group 1 after 13 games without losing a point and with a goal difference of 105:11. The second half of the season will show whether, unlike in previous years, it will be enough for promotion this time.
RWE II: Ideally, a place in the final round
That is certainly the clear goal for the regular season, while the team is approaching the indoor season with “humility.” “We want to represent the club colors as well as possible and get as far as we can—ideally, we want to still be in the running on the last weekend.”
Lorenz is still undecided about which players will be in the RWE line-up and whether the two top strikers Emre Kilic (34 goals) and Dominik Milaszewski (28) will be playing. That will be decided after the draw and the last league games of the year.
What is clear, however, for the former professional, who once celebrated the vice indoor city championship as coach of TuS Essen-West 81: “I’m really looking forward to the indoor season.”