An Unforgettable Season

With the motto “every season writes its own story”, the TSG Hoffenheim team and its partners kicked off the 2019-20 Bundesliga season in late summer 2019. Who could have predicted the dramatic way in which the subsequent season would go on to confirm this motto? The season that has just ended will remain unforgettable for all soccer fans and everyone involved.

The best was saved for last: with a 4:0 victory against Dortmund on the last match day, Hoffenheim managed to directly secure a spot in the UEFA Europa League. Next year will see the team’s professional players face off against notable opponents from across Europe. The RIAL brand has sponsored TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga this season as an Official Business Team Partner. RIAL congratulates the team and the whole club on a successful season finale!

The entire preceding season laid the groundwork for this eventual success, but the path was not easy. The team first dealt with internal upheaval, then came all the changes brought by the coronavirus pandemic, and TSG Hoffenheim ultimately played the last games of the season under new leadership.

Hoffenheim’s season began with a small shock: they were down 1:0 only 36 seconds into their opening game against Eintracht Frankfurt – this would be the final score. The game against Frankfurt was also the debut of four new additions to the lineup. The newly formed team also still needed to find its footing in the first few games under new coach Alfred Schreuder. Once they achieved this and defeated FC Bayern Munich, it could have gone on to be a normal, uneventful season. But then came the coronavirus pandemic, which halted match operations starting in mid-March. From April 6, the TSG Hoffenheim Bundesliga team was once again able to hold communal practices with special protective measures. The Bundesliga resumed its season in an unprecedented manner in mid-May. The 18 professional teams faced each other behind closed doors with no fans in the stadiums. Even this would not be the last unusual event in Hoffenheim’s unforgettable season. With only four match days left, the club let coach Alfred Schreuder go and successfully ended the season with a Europa League qualification under the joint leadership of Matthias Kaltenbach and sports director Alexander Rosen.

For its coming challenges in the Bundesliga and especially in the UEFA Europa League, RIAL wishes TSG Hoffenheim lots of success along with innovative and technically sophisticated gameplay.