"Only together we will overcome the challenges"

It has been a busy couple of weeks for Hertha BSC. There have been lots of Bundesliga fixtures in a short space of time, Fredi Bobic has left the club, Benjamin Weber and Andreas “Zecke” Neuendorf have been brought in and there were the late movements in the transfer window. Following on from this eventful period, we spoke to club president Kay Bernstein to discuss the developments at our club. “I sense that everyone is aware of the situation and everyone understands what’s going on with regards to the league table. The most important thing is that we approach this with the necessary clarity and composure and we can operate in a unified manner,” explained the 42-year-old. Bernstein also spoke about the recent big decisions, the new path the club will take, women’s football and the potential new stadium.

herthabsc.com: Kay, after a predominantly downbeat first half of the season with plenty of developments both on and off the pitch, we’ve had another eventful start to the new year. What has been your perception of the period following the winter break?
Bernstein: The overall impression is very much shaped by what happens on the pitch. Although we wanted more points to our name and although we maybe should have had more based on our performances, we were all upbeat going into 2023. We had a good winter in terms of preparation and the defeats after the break were a bit of a shock. The team were completely different in these matches to in the ones before the break, when we saw lots of courage, energy, resilience and passion. Lots of people noted that at the time which is why the disappointing start to the year was such a shock.  At the same time, there have also been many important issues off the pitch in terms of the future of Hertha BSC that have been and continue to be on the minds of those in charge.

herthabsc.com: How would you assess the current situation?
Bernstein: I sense that everyone is aware of the situation and everyone understands what’s going on with regards to the league table. The most important thing is that we approach this with the necessary clarity and composure and we can operate in a unified manner. Tom Herrich and the club’s management are taking care of important matters such as talks with 777. The employees are tackling their daily tasks with vigour and everyone is working hard so that the people involved with the sporting side of things can work with the team in peace and can concentrate on achieving our goal of staying in the Bundesliga.

herthabsc.com: After the game against FC Union, the steering committee, together with the supervisory board, came to the decision to relieve Fredi Bobic of his duties of sporting director. What led to this decision?
Bernstein: You have to look at what the prerequisites were when Fredi Bobic came in. The club had just proposed an ambitious plan (Goldelse). However, on reflection, a basis for the implementation of this plan was already lacking in the summer of 2021, in terms of the culture, the organisation and the financial reality. These realities have been the guiding principles since then and have shaped our scope of action. The bottom line is that the committees had the impression that the successes with regards to the transfer record and the events on the pitch had somewhat dwindled. On top of this, there was the matter regarding Fredi Bobic and role of CEO of the national team, which had recently been vacated by Oliver Bierhoff and we got the signals that Fredi was open for this. After the unsuccessful start to the year, the economic realities and the contract situation, we came to the decision that a change was the right decision at that point in time.

herthabsc.com: Benjamin Weber came in as sporting director and Zecke came in as the club’s new director of academy and first team football. What are you expecting from the duo?
Bernstein: In Benjamin Weber and Andreas “Zecke” Neuendorf, we have two Herthaner back on board, who encompass both quality of work and identification with the club. We are convinced that they will fulfill their duties with distinction and with valour. At the same time, they have both shaped and served the club in different areas over the years. From 2003 to 2021, under Benny’s leadership, the club achieved lots of success with regards to the youth teams and he was and still is a real visionary within the club. After his playing career, Zecke has played an important role in our youth set-up and he has brought his usual enthusiasm and passion. This all contributes to the path that we want to continue to take at Hertha BSC.

herthabsc.com: You have just mentioned the path that Hertha are embarking on. What is this path?
Bernstein: Maybe I’ll answer that by explaining what the path isn’t. It’s not about being a born and bred Herthaner in order to work here. It’s also not about tinkering with our first team squad to make sure that it just consists of players from Berlin and from our academy. I understand that people want to know what’s going on during a time like this. However, I do think the path that we have been taking since the summer of 2022 is clear in parts. But at the end of the day, the perception of the direction rests upon sporting success. We are aware of that.

Herthabsc.com: Ok, got it! But let’s go into more detail.
Bernstein: Everything is aligned with our identity, which has grown in our 130-year history, and the values we are committed to: community, diversity, greatness, pride, courage. We apply this in all areas of the club. At the same time, important lessons can be learned from the past two decades, first and foremost in very important areas such as economic restructuring, sustainability and future viability. We want to be conscious of the cost and quality of every decision, and we need to recognise the serious financial burdens as a reality and be pragmatic to ensure our future. We want organic growth instead of a delusion of greatness. We need courage and tenacity to accept the need for change and overcome setbacks and hurdles along the way. For this, a functioning cooperation in the club and fan culture is necessary. We don’t want to be in a bubble, but part of the community. What’s important is open communication, trust instead of complaining, helping instead of refusing, and giving instead of taking! This is also what events like “Hertha im Austausch” on Friday evening (10/02) stand for, in which we will be in open dialogue with our members. We work on economic, ecological and social sustainability every day and want to put them into practice instead of just preaching. We are working on issues aimed for the future like the women’s teams, the construction of a new stadium and statute reforms. The important thing is to keep our optimism for the future despite the problems we’ve had from the past. That has always been one of Hertha’s strengths, and we have already survived a lot as a club. All of this is part of the equation for us when we talk about the new path for our Old Lady.

Herthabsc.com: While you’re on the subject of women, building a new stadium and statute reforms, can you give us a brief update on these?
Bernstein: On the subject of women’s football, we are close to finalising it. The group have been chosen and have done their homework. We are aiming for various Hertha 03 Zehlendorf teams to play in blue and white for Hertha BSC in the future. From our point of view, this is a very good solution in view of the current situation here, and we are very much looking forward to it. Recently we have had good discussions in individual groups about our plans to build a new stadium, but we now have to wait for political developments with the election on Sunday (12/02). The process to reform the statutes has also begun and we are currently looking at the applications received and putting together the project group.

Herthabsc.com: Back to the new path for our Old Lady. What does this mean in a sporting context?
Bernstein: Sport, that is football, is and remains our core business. It’s our main motivation, and all our hearts and emotions are involved in it. We play football to ultimately make as many people happy as possible, to spread joy. The academy and our direction in sport play an essential role in this. Berlin is the city of football cages; assertiveness, creativity, confidence and the will to win are all required, along with a Berlin style. We want to pave the way from the football cage to the professional team. But of course we also know that a good mix is needed, with both staff and players from outside. Everyone should be united in the end by quality and passion for the cause, for football and for Hertha BSC.

Herthabsc.com: How do you see the near future? What do you think is important now?
Bernstein: We understand the fears, worries and concerns of everyone who is connected to our beloved Old Lady. We want to reduce these a little through our way of communicating and entering into dialogue. We want to let Hertha fans be a part of our journey, involve them and discuss it with them. Only together we will overcome the challenges, and then I am convinced that we will manage to stay in the league and work towards a better future.