TSG News Overview

TSGDocu - Deniz Solmaz - "Simply Different"

Episode 3: The beginnings in Wieseck

TSGMedia: In 2006 you changed to TSG Wieseck. Tell us something about that.

Deniz: I was allowed to take over the U14s at the winter break and it was a great feeling. The tempo was much higher than with my last team, and all the work around it was more complex and more intense. I had to get used to more appointments, more pressure and also more influence from the parents. The boys were great, but they also challenged me completely. The parents were very strong in their opinions, so there were always problems. For me, the player was always the centre of attention. I wanted them to have personal responsibility and independence, to learn to make their own decisions. The boys wanted that too, some parents were happy with that, they saw their child as the focus. Others, who rather took themselves too important, were not happy and the stress then accompanied me for some time.

TSGMedia: In your early days you still lived in Eschenburg and went to school in Siegen. That was hard, wasn't it?

Deniz: Yes, the effort was very high. At the beginning, I was already involved as a coach in the regional and Hesse selections; football filled my entire life. In 2007, I moved to Giessen and commuted to school in Siegen for 3-4 months. The work with the players was amazing, and then I wasn't able to catch up on my A-levels. Then the thoughts matured in me to put all my eggs in one basket.

TSGMedia: After a year at Wieseck, you took over as sporting director and more or less got yourself your full-time job. How did that come about?

Deniz: At that time, the club was already the flagship in Hesse and I wanted to help take the next step. I worked out a sporting concept and presented it to my boss, and he simply let me do it, for which I am still very grateful today. At the same time, I explained to him how a position could be created for me, he liked the idea and then I started working. Talks with sponsors and the expansion of the football school then led to the point where I could just about make ends meet. Fortunately, I still had financial reserves from my self-employment. But those were used up pretty quickly, so I lived the first few years on a mix of my salary, my savings and then a loan at the end. The years were stark, but I didn't care.

TSGMedia: In 2010, there was a break with your boss and probably the most upsetting time you experienced. What was it like?

Deniz: I was very polarising with my direct manner. For the most part, the players loved the fact that I put them completely in the centre of attention and was always honest. Many parents and then also my management didn't think it was so great. Nevertheless, the club developed mega and we were on a wave of success. The promotion of the U15s and the year was the greatest thing I experienced in terms of sport. The trench warfare between a small group of parents and the boss then escalated completely. The time took a lot out of me, but I was convinced of what I had achieved and could still achieve. So the big bang happened. Some parents deregistered their children and I inherited my former youth leader. I was 25 years old and had led the youth department. It wasn't supposed to happen that quickly.

TSGMedia: A year later, you briefly moved to SC Waldgirmes. How did that happen?

Deniz: The years at Wieseck were really tough. As much as I enjoyed working with the coaches and players. I wanted to see something new and was tired of being told what to do by the rest of the people above me on the board. That's why I switched to the senior section at SC Waldgirmes, where I was also supposed to build up the youth team at the same time. I'll summarise it like this: Actually, I didn't fit in there. The exchange with the players was great, but not much else fitted. But I learned a lot for my life and I am very grateful to the people I met there. After only eight months, I was drawn back to TSG. I just missed youth football and my coaches, and the board really wanted me back. So I ended up back where I feel most comfortable.

TSGMedia: It was precisely during your time at SC Waldgirmes that you developed the Central Hesse Talent Development Programme. What is that and what were your motives?

Deniz: At the end of my time at Wieseck, I was massively annoyed by a Bundesliga team that signed a ten-year-old from Central Hesse, who had to travel 160 kilometres to train. When I told the people in charge what I thought about it, I felt the desire to change something. During a holiday in New York, I attended a game between two college basketball teams and 20,000 spectators were there. I couldn't get over the fact that there were so many people at a game between schools. That very day I worked out the concept of TFM and when I landed back in Germany, the work started. In a nutshell, I didn't want these long journeys for the kids anymore and wanted to bring top coaches to the clubs.

In the fourth part, we look at how Deniz and his colleagues led the club to the national top and his time at the Turkish Federation. We find out what his biggest mistake was and which moments remain in his memory.