TSG's "Euro 2024"-themed New Year's reception

At once stage, it looked like the winter weather might disrupt the event, but TSG Hoffenheim's New Year's reception ran smoothly in the end. The region around Sinsheim and the PreZero Arena was spared from the snow and ice on Wednesday, meaning that the 400 partners, sponsors and friends of TSG could take up the club's invitation. The evening, which was as atmospheric as it was informative, during which many of the TSG first team players made themselves available for chats with the guests, was themed around the "2024 European Championship".

Britta Hofmann, known as the presenter of the "Sky Sport" Bundesliga broadcasts, took the lead on the 70-minute presentation on the stage. A particular highlight was her chat with Oliver Baumann, Wout Weghorst and Andrej Kramarić, who wittily talked up the chances of their respective national teams at the Euros and their personal prospects in relation to the tournament. Dutchman Weghorst started by poking fun at Baumann: "I hope you don't have to play your first international match against me." For while the Oranje striker and the Croatian World Cup runner-up and third-placed finisher Kramarić have long been representing their nations on the international stage, Baumann is hoping – as he once again stated – to win his first international cap for Germany in the friendly matches in March either against France or the Netherlands. To the amusement of the audience, the teammates also fired some tongue-in-cheek jibes at each other.

Creative TSG employees from the business team had designed special stations themed around each of the seven countries which Hoffenheim first team players might represent in the tournament this summer. Alongside Germany, the Netherlands and Croatia, other TSG players are likely to be members of the European Championship squads of Turkey (Ozan Kabak), Austria (Florian Grillitsch), Hungary (Attila Szalai) and Denmark (Robert Skov). In front of "accessories" typical of their home countries, the players took the time to chat with the guests. Already in the hour before the stage show, the players and the team of coaches had spent time mingling with the sponsors, partners and friends of TSG, taking photos in the dressing room and the media mixed zone, among other places.

Of course, TSG's development on the pitch was also addressed. Looking back on the previous season, TSG managing director Alexander Rosen spoke of "a rollercoaster ride of emotions" and said: "We had made a good start to the season, but then really fell off a cliff. Then the victory against Union Berlin was pure relief." Regarding the current situation, he said that the return of 24 points put the club in a position to push back into the top third of the table: "The first half of this season makes you eager to see what's to come." Head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, along with women's coach Stephan Lerch and player Erëleta Memeti, also answered Britta Hofmann's questions and talked about their goals for the second half of the season.

To kick off the event, Sinsheim Mayor Jörg Albrecht welcomed the guests: "We are very grateful to have a Bundesliga team in our region. We are aware of that not only every second weekend, when Bundesliga games are played in this arena, but also time and again when we get to travel to large cities, such as last weekend in Munich." TSG board member Dr. Jan Mayer also stressed that being in the Bundesliga is not a matter of course: "We are a village club and experienced a wild year full of emotions. We have come together as a club – also with the fans. It was impressive how the fans supported us in the difficult phase. We are very grateful for that." His fellow board member Denni Strich echoed that sentiment: "We received a lot of support. Despite the upcoming 125th anniversary, TSG are still a young club at the highest level of sport. We want to open up even more and be more approachable," said Strich, before a successful evening all-round turned into a sociable "get-together".