Following the resignation of Martin Schwalb and two other bosses, HSV Hamburg is starting the season with a new board. Schwalb has now spoken to SPORT1 about the reasons for his resignation.
There is a change in the management of the Handball Sport Verein Hamburg (HSVH). President Marc Evermann, Vice President Martin Schwalb and Treasurer Stephan Harzer have resigned from their positions after eight years. The new executive committee includes handball world champion Johannes “Jogi” Bitter, who will continue to be a member of the squad as a player.
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The outgoing trio had stabilized the club, which was on the verge of bankruptcy in 2016, and led it from the 3rd division back to the Handball Bundesliga. Schwalb, who had previously enjoyed great success as a coach with HSV Handball, played a central role in this reconstruction.
Under his leadership as coach, the club won the Champions League in 2013, the German championship in 2011 and the DHB Cup twice. In 2016, he returned to the club as vice president to save it from bankruptcy on a voluntary basis and lead it back to the top.
In conversation with SPORTS1 After the resignation of the presidium, the 61-year-old spoke about the motives and emotions that accompanied this decision. “There are several reasons, including simply a certain reorientation. The country needs new ideas and new people,” said Schwalb, explaining the reasons for the cut.
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Schwalb: “The whole situation was a bit tense”
He also admitted that the nail-biting of the past weeks and months surrounding the awarding of the license for the upcoming Bundesliga season has not left the club entirely unscathed.
“The whole situation was a bit tense, of course we know that,” he said. “But there are specialists who take care of it. I wasn’t involved in the licensing process at all; that requires specialist knowledge, which is more of a matter for the managing director.”
He assured that “sufficient financial resources are now available,” but also admitted: “A forced relegation would have been catastrophic, but fortunately it did not happen.”
Schwalb: “A lot of time, commitment, dedication and heart invested”
The club found itself in an even more difficult situation eight years ago. Schwalb stressed that the main goal at the time was to save the club and to focus on solid youth work, which paid off: “I invested a lot of time, commitment, dedication and heart into building the club. Our goal at the time was to save the club, not necessarily to get into the Bundesliga. We just wanted to do a good job. We focused on good youth work, and that paid off.”
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He underlined the importance of the team during this time: “We have now decided this together for the good of HSV. We believe that we have created something special from a situation in which no one thought that we would be playing in the Bundesliga again.”
For the future of the club, Schwalb hopes to continue to work strongly with young people and wants to devote himself to new tasks after a short break, but still remain connected to handball: “Good youth work will continue to be important and essential for the club.”
Personally, he believes the time has come for a change and is looking forward to new challenges: “I wouldn’t say it’s a step back, but rather a step towards new shores, and I’m quite relaxed about that.”
New HSV presidium with Johannes Bitter
One day after the departure of the previous leadership trio, the new executive committee led by Johannes Bitter was confirmed. Kay Spanger takes over the office of president, Bitter takes over the office of vice president from Schwalb, and the qualified tax consultant Jana Fuhrmann takes over the office of treasurer. Sven Hielscher also remains on the executive committee.
Former national goalkeeper Bitter expressed his aim to further advance the club on and off the pitch. “Since my return to Hamburg, I have always been involved off the pitch to advance the club. But I am now looking forward to the official role in the club, which I can perform alongside my work as a player.”
With his many years of experience and commitment, not only as a player but also as an official, Bitter brings a valuable perspective to the new management team at HSV Hamburg. Since his return to Hamburg, he has always strived to advance the club not only on the field, but also off it.
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Now he is looking forward to officially taking on responsibility as vice president and taking the club to the next level. With his dual role as player and board member, Bitter sees enormous potential in the club and is motivated to tackle the upcoming challenges together and to develop HSV Hamburg sustainably.
Martin Schwalb had laid the foundation for this through years of development work.
