The future belongs to Berlin!

At Hertha BSC, the view goes beyond the day-to-day work and focuses on the things that lie ahead for the capital club - in keeping with the motto of the blue and white anniversary season of 2017: 'The future belongs to Berlin'. And this season it has proved much more than just a hollow phrase, as demonstrated by a look at the current performance of the Hertha BSC Junior Academy. Together we are working successfully on a golden age of the future. All teams from the U23 to the U13 are among the first four places in their respective divisions. "We are very satisfied! If we look purely at the tables, it was an extremely successful first half of the season. What’s more, this means that we have a very good starting position for the second half of the season. We are particularly pleased that we’re up there in the two junior Bundesliga leagues," said Benjamin Weber, head of the youth academy. He also added: "But above all, the development of each individual is paramount. It is great to see how our players are doing, how they deal with the challenges and grow as a result." We took a closer look at the current situation in the youth division – here’s an overview of the performance of the individual teams. 

Hertha’s U23 finished fourth in the table after 33 games with 33 points in the Regionalliga Nordost. Coach Andreas 'Zecke' Neuendorf’s side were in first position from the fifth to the 13th Matchday but the team has run out of steam in recent weeks. However, the current performance is a more than satisfactory interim result. The 'Bubis' are particularly good going forward: with 49 goals, Muhammed Kiprit, Jessic Ngankam & Co. are the best attack in the league. "Every player always wants another goal. If we lead 4-0, for example, we still want to score the fifth goal - and not just manage the game," explained coach 'Zecke' in an interview before announcing the goals for the second half of the season. "We want to match up to the top teams in this league. Of course, we're also working to make sure that as many players as possible are recommended for the first team after this season!" 

The U19s sit two places higher than their counterparts from the U23s with 33 points. They currently occupy second place in the A-Junior Bundesliga North / Northeast - and that as the only undefeated team! "It is nice for us that we are currently near the top of the table and have the opportunity to be able to go for first place and participate in the final round of the German championship. That is our goal,” underlines coach Michael Hartmann. "This is the best position we’ve been in for the first half of the season since I have been in the club so we’re happy with how we’ve played," said 'Hardy' in an interview. 

Also in second place is the U17 in the B-Juniors Bundesliga North / Northeast. Oliver Reiss’ lads, who, together with his assistant coach and ex-professional Oliver Schröder, have a strong 40 points after 17 games and are just one point behind the leaders Hamburg SV. In addition to their high ranking, the Herthaner not only have the best attack in the league with 51 goals, but also have the league’s top scorer in their ranks in Tony Rölke (13 goals). The lads are also great at the back: with only 13 goals conceded, the 'Alte Dame' has the second best defence in the league. So there is no need to worry in the blue and white camp. "There really isn't much to complain about at the moment - especially because in summer we didn't even know what was going to be possible with the team this year. If you keep that in mind when you think about where we are now, it’s really the best we could’ve hoped for," emphasised Reiss. 

U16 sets an example against racism 

The U16s can also be satisfied with their start to the season. Coach Sofian Chahed’s leads the way in the B-Juniors Regionalliga Nordost with a huge eight point lead. In addition to the sporting success, the young football players set an example in the final game against VfB Auerbach! Due to repeated racist insults against several Herthaner, the team decided to leave the pitch, showing that we, as Hertha BSC, condemn racism and discrimination in all its forms. Furthermore, the U15 and the U14, both in second place in their respective leagues, are within striking distance of first place, and are feeling good about the coming year. Hertha BSC U13 currently occupy third place in their 2nd C junior class with 20 points. 

There is also a positive interim report at the turn of the year for the U9s to the U12s - because these four teams are also in the top four in their respective divisions. Hertha's children’s teams coordinator Michael Dober said: "We are very well positioned with our teams of the year. The training and development of our young players will not stagnate. Here we are on the right track with our training philosophy. I look forward to the further course of the season for our team Teams in the second half is a very positive outlook, "concluded the U12 coach.