A Step Back to Strike Again
Sometimes the wisest decision isn’t to move up, but to take a deliberate step to the side. That’s exactly the path our third team is taking this season: It will now compete in the TBB District League. What might initially sound like a step back is, in reality, an honest and wise reassessment of where we stand.
The background lies in the major restructuring the entire club is undergoing due to the transition to four-player teams. Especially in the second team, which made the leap to the Bezirksliga, the roster was reshuffled—and in the process, key players moved up to the higher-level teams. For the third team, this means they would have been fighting a losing battle in their previous league. Instead of wearing themselves out week after week, they made a conscious decision to rebuild a foundation one division lower, on which something new can grow.
The team is led by Joel Seiler, who, with a QTTR rating of 1647, is clearly the number one player and brings stability to the team’s top doubles pairing. Surrounding him is a group of seasoned veterans who, together, have countless years of experience at the table: Harald Hamann, Rainer Heß, Robert Sorger, and Richard Drach. What this squad may lack in youthful speed, it more than makes up for with experience, nerves of steel, and creative flair—qualities that are worth their weight in gold, especially in tight district league matches.
And the league has its own unique charms. In addition to opponents like SG Dörlesberg/Nassig II, TSV Tauberbischofsheim II, FC Hundheim-Steinbach, and ETSV Lauda II, there’s a special treat in store: the derby against their own fourth team. When Niklashausen faces Niklashausen, fighting spirit is guaranteed—and honor takes precedence above all else.
The goal is clearly stated and confidently pursued: promotion. The team doesn’t intend to linger long in the district league but rather to show that this step backward was merely a running start for the next leap forward. With a wealth of experience, their usual team spirit, and a firm determination to compete at the top, the third team is on the offensive. Every beginning is a new start—and in Niklashausen, they’ve known for a long time that great things can come from humble beginnings.