Rot-Weiß Erfurt bravely starts the regional league: climb in sight?

Rot-Weiß Erfurt bravely starts the regional league: climb in sight?

The time has come in a few days: On July 25, 2025 at 7:00 p.m., Rot-Weiß Erfurt will start the new season of the Regionalliga Northeast. With the opening game against FSV Luckenwalde, it will be exciting right from the start, and the team around coach Fabian Gerber is optimistic. "The preparation went well, we have a strong team and are ready," says Gerber, who has been on the sidelines since summer 2021. However, he also admits that the league is very balanced and has challenges. The 18 teams in the Regionalliga Nordost not only fight for points, but also make this league a hotly contested plaster. The regional league is the fourth highest division in German football and after various reforms, the framework conditions have changed in recent years.

test games and team dynamics

The preparation also included a training camp that strengthened team dynamics. There were games on the square that were seen for the players as a burden and as an opportunity for development. While the overall results were strong, Erfurt also had to accept a bitter 2: 9 defeat against SG Baroque city of Fulda-Lehnerz. Gerber relativizes this loss, because the framework conditions during the game were anything but ideal. "The first 60 minutes were decent," he emphasizes, "but in the second half we no longer acted at eye level with many substitutes."

The challenge in the opening program is that the first three games against Luckenwalde, BFC Dynamo and Greifswald are equally difficult. Gerber already has the scaffolding of the starting eleven in the head, but still wants to fix the final line -up. Goalkeeper Lorenz Otto will contest the initial encounter, while in the test game against the U23 by Eintracht Braunschweig Jaden Rodtnick will appear as a replacement goalkeeper.

A look into the future

Although Gerber does not want to formulate a specific promotion targets, he sets clear goals for the further development of the team: "We want to play good football and develop the team further." A positive development could also exceed expectations and leave Rot-Weiß Erfurt in the region alone in the relegation battle. The assessment that the competition such as Lok Leipzig, Hallescher FC and Zwickau are among the top teams of the league is another indication that Erfurt has to do a lot in every game in order to be successful.

The coming year in the Regionalliga Northeast promises a lot of excitement. With a powerful squad and a committed coaching team, Rot-Weiß Erfurt is ready to tackle the challenges of the league and will do everything to leave a lasting impression in German-speaking football both in the country and beyond the borders.