Boldt: "We still have an appetite for more".

For the HSV professionals, the winter break begins tomorrow with individual training programmes. Mr Boldt, you recently stayed a few days longer in the USA and only returned at the weekend. Looking back on the past two weeks, what did you bring back from California?
Jonas Boldt: Lots of interesting impressions, a good team feeling and a lot of positive feedback from everyone involved, both on site and internally. Everyone pulled together well on our US tour and represented HSV and also German professional football very well. In addition, we had valuable discussions in California and were able to make new contacts. 
In the additional days that we stayed in the USA with a small delegation after our team's return, we had valuable and very appreciative exchanges with Oliver Schramm, the Consul General San Francisco of the German Foreign Office, and gained great insights into Silicon Valley, as well as visiting the German International School there. All in all, this trip was worthwhile for us from my point of view. And I would like to thank everyone involved once again. The hospitality in California has been positively noticed by all our fellow travellers.
 
The 2022 football year is now over for HSV. What are your most important insights from the past eleven months?Certainly, despite all the accompanying circumstances, it is the positive overall sporting development. The fact that our team scored an average of almost two points per game in the calendar year is significant. Our coaches and the team of support staff have succeeded in largely ignoring the unrest that arose around HSV in the meantime. Our motto was: We stay with ourselves. I think that was evident both on the pitch and in the transfer process. We have gained in maturity, we have improved in certain areas. And a connection has developed between the team and the supporters that is sustainable on both sides, which I think is extraordinary and conducive to success. I see this not only in the impressive number of spectators at our games, but also in the way, in the togetherness. Here, too, I see steady progress. The well-known saying "We win together, we lose together" is visible and audible among us. This fosters mutual trust.
I would also like to mention another aspect outside of sport and our fan culture: Our organisation has gone up a notch again this year in many respects. Other companies would certainly have broken up or at least faltered in the face of the content-related and emotional ups and downs in this calendar year. I have not found that to be the case with us. We are resilient and competently positioned. I really enjoy being part of this organisation and making a difference together.

In which areas do you still see the greatest potential for development?I don't like black-and-white views. We are in a good position in many areas, very good in others and a little weaker in others. That's true on and off the pitch. But we are not perfect anywhere, we are not the very best anywhere. Conversely, this means that we can all improve as a community and also as individuals. And that is exactly what we must continue to radiate: The desire to develop, the desire to win. We still have an appetite for more.

"The closeness between the team and the supporters is a key to our success."

The sporting success and the team's playing style have consoled many fans over the non-sporting turmoil at HSV. What has the time done to you personally?
Every challenge makes you mature, grow. I'm not free of mistakes and reflect on my decisions, review my assessments. I knew before I started here that Hamburg is not a place of rest. But we want to prove that cohesion, continuity, meticulousness and a little less "I" and a little more "we" are the right ingredients for an upward recipe. I can therefore say with a clear conscience: the time has driven me, of course now and then also annoyed and irritated me, but on balance my motivation to make something positive happen here has not changed, even through the turmoil.

Following the resignation of your board colleague, you have been solely responsible for the highest operational unit at HSV Fußball AG for several weeks. What was that like for you?
II know that the end of the year calls for retrospectives. But I don't want to make up for it, nor do I want to publicly judge. Despite my current role, I am not a solo entertainer here. We are working with a management board that is strong in terms of content and personnel and which, under my leadership, manages the operational destiny and thinks ahead.

What concrete significance does the Management Board have?
A great deal, because it is here that the managers from the different business areas of our organisation come together with me and important decisions are made or important issues are discussed and, if necessary, tackled. The changes in society and our economic environment are taken into account as well as recurring core aspects: Finance, law, communication, brand and fan culture. In our group, we first want to work internally, set directions, take them along and then also place messages outside.
Most people probably don't notice that we are constantly developing and making strategic changes. And that's a good thing, because it's not about individuals, but about HSV in its overall development. Take Cornelius Göbel, for example, who has been a staff member for a few weeks. He is now responsible for central issues as Chief of Staff and Culture & Identity, reports directly to me and is to focus even more on attitude and culture issues as well as fan aspects in the future. We think this is an important and right step to prepare our organisation for the challenges of the future and to preserve and protect the identity of HSV.

Do you have an explanation for the overwhelming attendance? More than 50,000 spectators in mid-November against Regensburg and then again against Sandhausen are more than remarkable.
I have already answered this question. From my point of view, there is no single, sweeping explanation. It's a matter of give and take. It's about a playing philosophy that our fans and also the more neutral spectators can identify with. Not only because it provides good entertainment, but also because it has significantly increased the chances of winning. And at the same time, the loyal supporters realise that our professional footballers and those in charge greatly value the support, their loyalty and perseverance. Honest, authentic, not artificial. The bond and closeness between the team and our supporters is also a key to our success.
 

"We say something if there is something to say"

Some second-division clubs have already announced intensive transfer efforts for this winter. How does HSV approach the time until the restart in January in terms of transfers?
I could say a lot of things now, talk about permanently observing the market, about merry-go-rounds that can suddenly start moving, etc. But the simpler thing is this: We say something if there is something to say.

What role does the still unsolved doping issue around Mario Vuskovic play in this?
There, too, I don't want to participate in speculations. The situation is anything but nice and clear for Mario and for us. Before we can take a position on the issue or even evaluate it, we still need a lot of clarification. We are working on this together with Mario, various experts and lawyers and, of course, with the responsible association.

The end of the year is not only suitable for looking back, but also for looking forward. How and where do you see the next steps in development? What issues does HSV need to address intensively in the coming months and years?
The focus will certainly be on the often-emphasised financing issues surrounding the necessary construction measures in our Volkspark stadium. In addition, as in the past, we will deal with many issues in parallel - always with a clear consideration of priorities. We don't want to leave anything to chance and we want to continue on our path.

Thank you for the interview.