Allianz MTV in the Volleyball Bundesliga Final: Facing Potsdam Without Seriously Ill Coach Tore Aleksandersen on the Sidelines

We turn back time. It’s Friday evening, May 6th, 2022 in the Potsdam Arena. The fourth act of the final series of the volleyball league. In total it is 2:1 for SC Potsdam, Allianz MTV Stuttgart has its back to the wall. You have to win this away game in Potsdam to postpone the championship again. “It was a thriller,” sporting director Kim Renkema recalled in an SWR interview. The scene of middle blocker Eline Timmerman, who is praying on the Stuttgart bench, is symbolic.

In the end, Stuttgart fends off two match points in Potsdam and secures the decisive game two days later in Stuttgart. The team of head coach Tore Aleksandersen wins 3-0 and is crowned German volleyball champion for the second time. Around a year later, Allianz MTV is back in the final. Again against SC Potsdam. And yet the signs are different this time.

The trainer is still there – but cannot help

Because Tore Aleksandersen, the coach of the Stuttgart volleyball team, has terminal cancer. And the treatment that the Norwegian coach receives from specialists at the University Hospital in Tübingen takes its toll physically. “It’s no lie that he’s not fit enough to be on the sidelines,” Kim Renkema told SWR about Aleksandersen before the first final game. Towards the end of the main round, assistant coach Faruk Feray was seen more and more often in the coaching role. The Turkish assistant coach, who usually works more in the background, had to fully replace the regular head coach not only in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the playoffs.

“Of course it’s a burden for the team when the head coach isn’t there,” said Kim Renkema. However, the coach still tries to support. As much as you can. “He’s still involved,” said winger Simone Lee, “we communicate with him very often.” Despite everything, Tore Aleksandersen will probably not be able to stand on the sidelines again in the final against SC Potsdam.

Difficult situation for the team

The fact that the team around star player Krystal Rivers are in difficult circumstances cannot be denied. Aleksandersen’s illness was already an issue last season, with the Stuttgart head coach occasionally missing a game due to medical checks. However, it was not foreseeable that the situation around the Norwegian would deteriorate so acutely.

“I knew before I came here that Tore was ill,” said Marie Schölzel, who moved to Neckar from Italy before the season. “Of course it’s depressing that things have gotten so serious.” The league also shows sympathy, at the last main round game in Dresden the fans of the hostesses presented a banner with the inscription “Get well soon Goals”. Aleksandersen then thanked him via social media. But of course the players also see these gestures. Not an easy situation for Marie Schölzel “Of course it’s difficult. When the game starts you try to have your full focus on the game. But at the same time it’s just not there, that’s missing.”

It’s a heavy burden for the players – especially mentally. In fact, they have to concentrate on their performance while ignoring the fact that the head coach cannot stand on the sidelines. And yet Allianz MTV Stuttgart is in the final again, now for the eighth time in a row. “I’m very proud of the team, of the whole environment. We’re in the final for the eighth time, that’s not something to be taken for granted. Given the circumstances, we’re very happy,” said Kim Renkema

Sports psychologist Herman: Allianz MTV an “obviously healthy system”

That also speaks for the team, for the club. You don’t want to use the situation as an excuse, of course you want to win the championship. But in order to absorb all this, things have to be right internally as well. Schölzel: “We know how to deal with each other when Tore isn’t there. Also to pass on the values ​​that were taught to us there. I think we’ve managed that well so far.”

Players and staff are therefore continuing Tore Aleksandersen’s work, which the Norwegian himself started with the team at the beginning of the season. This fact and also that the club has clearly sensitized itself to the situation surrounding their head coach testify to a stable construct. For example, in a preparatory game with assistant coach Feray on the sidelines, emergencies were tested.

The psychologist of the German national soccer team, Hans-Dieter Hermann, speaks of an “obviously healthy system”. “There are no dependencies, but responsibility can also be transferred, you trust each other, including the assistant coach. A lot seems to be in flux,” said the sports psychologist. The system is then also self-supporting, which, above all, speaks for Aleksandersen’s work before the more severe course of the disease, says Hermann.

Extra motivation for the final?

Allianz MTV is now in the final series against SC Potsdam and, despite the circumstances, has taken the first step towards the third championship title in the club’s history. “We found a way, Tore tried to support us,” says Renkema. “Of course it would be better if he was fit. But that shouldn’t be an excuse for us not to attack fully in the final.”

According to Hans-Dieter Hermann, the difficult situation could also release strength. “The situation initially leaves the players in a certain helplessness. But the feeling of performing as well as possible gives you a little bit of control. You have the feeling that you can do something for the coach by playing well. You can do that too trigger an extra portion of additional motivation.”

Simone Lee sees it that way too. “It gives us even more motivation to work even harder,” said the American. Sports director Renkema does not want to commit to any favorites for the final series. “Hopefully we can offer all volleyball fans a series like last year.”