On January 5, 2025, the 18th NRW Traditional Masters will take place at the Westenergie SPORTHALLE MÜLHEIM. Rot-Weiss Essen will compete as defending champions.

Timo Brauer is already fired up. The 34-year-old raves about the unique character of the tournament.

“The NRW Traditionsmasters is not only very well organized, it’s also a very attractive sporting event,” says the former professional. ”I was told before my debut in 2024 that it was a great tournament. But when I marched into the Westenergie SPORTHALLE and saw what was going on there, I got goosebumps.”

The tournament is simply fun for every player, but also for all the fans who can be there up close like nowhere else.

Brauer is hoping for another derby against FC Schalke 04. In 2024, he won two of them: in the group stage and in the final. “I’m from Essen, and we’re not exactly fans of Schalke,” says Brauer. “That’s why it’s always nice to play these derbies, because there’s always that extra bit of excitement in the game. That’s true for a lot of games in the NRW Traditional Masters, when I think of MSV Duisburg or Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, for example. That’s what makes this tournament so special.”

What many people don’t know is that the Essen native and self-confessed RWE fan since childhood has a royal blue past himself. In his youth, Brauer played for the Knappenschmiede youth teams and also played under Schalke legend Norbert Elgert in the U19s. “I stand by that,” laughs Brauer. “Back then, the Blues were also playing in the Champions League. And Schalke was the ultimate in youth football. Anyone who had the opportunity to go there went to the big players S04 or BVB for their own development. And for me, it was S04.”

I believe we’ll have a good, hot team again. But I also believe that the other clubs will be chasing us and the competition will follow suit. The generational change we’ve already initiated will also come to the other teams.

Timo Brauer

But in his heart, he has always remained an Essen native. That’s why it was clear to him that he wanted to work for RWE again after the end of his active professional career. “RWE signaled early on that they would like to involve me in the club and asked me how I could imagine that working. This allowed me to complete my studies as a sports business administrator and certified sports manager and return to Hafenstraße after my time in Lotte.” Since then, Timo Brauer, who played for RWE for a total of six years and captained the team back to the Regionalliga in 2011, has been working at the club’s offices. He is part of the “team behind the team” at RWE.

His responsibilities include maintaining business relationships as well as marketing and PR work. “Essen is my club, so that’s extra motivation, of course,” says Brauer, who feels right at home in his new role. And what can fans expect at Rot-Weiss Essen’s 18th NRW Traditional Masters? “Of course we want to defend the title,” says Brauer. ‘I believe we’ll have a good, strong team again. But I also believe that the other clubs will be chasing us and the competition will catch up. The generational change we’ve already initiated will also come to the other teams.”

One thing is close to his heart: ’Tradition lives on in the next generation. We have all played for RWE, often for many years. It is a stroke of luck that we have so many players who identify with RWE and who all love this club.”

With cult goalkeeper Frank “Curtis” Kurth on the sidelines and players like Erwin Koen, the team represents at least 40 years of RWE history. And most recently, even 73-year-old Dieter Bast took to the field again for the Rot-Weiss Essen traditional team. “That makes three generations of Rot-Weiss Essen,” laughs Brauer. “But what’s much more important is that we’re all Essen boys who love the club.”