The man who showed us the way | OneFootball

Icon: TSG Hoffenheim

TSG Hoffenheim

·20 May 2022

The man who showed us the way

Article image:The man who showed us the way

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim e.V. is now located on Peter-Hofmann-Weg, as part of the Silbergasse in Hoffenheim has been officially renamed in honour of the long-time president, who died in September 2020 at the age of just 61. It is a touching, well-deserved memorial to a special man and a sign that the club remains true to its roots.

It was a sunny autumn day when Kristian Baumgärtner saw the solution practically through his car window. The chairman of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim e.V. was driving along the Silbergasse in Hoffenheim, heading up the mountain that is home to the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion and the club's administrative headquarters. "I thought about how often Peter probably came up here. To the stadium, to the old clubhouse, to the place that meant so much to him." As Baumgärtner peered through the window, his gaze fell upon the road sign bearing the name "Silbergasse". It is a sign which, this far up, after the end of the residential development, is only seen by TSG fans.


OneFootball Videos


Since April, the "Peter-Hofmann-Weg" sign has been on display there as a memorial and tribute to the former TSG chairman who died in September 2020. The northern section of the Silbergasse, starting behind the sports hall Am großen Wald, has been renamed. Since then, the official address of the club that calls the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion home, is no longer Silbergasse 45, but rather Peter-Hofmann-Weg 3. And the adjacent "Fairplay" guest house, which formerly served as a clubhouse, now bears the address Peter-Hofmann-Weg 1.

Proposal by Dietmar Hopp

The sign is new, and it still has a little shine to it. Below it are the smaller signs providing directions for various tourist hot spots in the Sinsheim region and showing the distance in kilometres: Hoffenheim S-Bahn station 0.4 km, Zuzenhausen 3.3 km, Sinsheim train station 4.9 km – or the "Hütte am Hans-Klausen-Feld" 1.7 km, which is of particular note for hikers and locals. It points the way home, including the home of Peter Hofmann, whose name now graces the big sign. Someone who knows and cherishes the value of home like no other is Dietmar Hopp, who enjoyed his childhood there in the 40s and 50s. The TSG owner himself had put forward the proposal to create a lasting tribute to Hofmann at an advisory board meeting in autumn 2021. The idea which eventually crystallised into the Peter-Hofmann-Weg was very well received by the 82-year-old Hopp, who is one of the most loyal companions of the former chairman: "Peter Hofmann, a Hoffenheim native, accompanied and helped shape TSG's path for many years – from his time as a player to when he became the first chairman," said Hopp. "I am pleased that he is now being deservedly honoured and that his name will live on."

It is not just TSG that appreciate all the work Peter Hofmann put in. The lord mayor of Sinsheim, Jörg Albrecht, and the major of Hoffenheim, Karlheinz Hess, who approved and ultimately implemented the administrative act of renaming the road in the political arena, both emphasized in unison: "In Peter Hofmann, TSG have lost a great man. The fact that we are now naming a street in his home town after him is a beautiful memorial that Peter Hofmann fully deserves."

Marga Hofmann, the widow of the long-time TSG chairman, was overcome with emotion. "It really touched me," said Hofmann, speaking to SPIELFELD. "I was delighted that he was being honoured and getting recognition for his achievements. Peter earned it." On the path she regularly walks through the adjacent forest, she now regularly goes past the new road sign bearing the name of her deceased husband. It's not always an easy walk: "These are really special moments."

For his successor and long-time friend Kristian Baumgärtner, it's a "nice way to keep the memory of Peter Hofmann alive and to show our appreciation for his work for TSG." Making the sign a reality was a team effort, involving the rest of the board alongside Baumgärtner and Frank Engelhardt, as well as the extended board of directors including Barbara Bender, head of the gymnastics department Ariane Weber, head of youth department René Ottinger and Anne Vormwald from the member administration team. They all put in the extra hours to do all the little things that go into renaming the road – from creating the new letterheads and paperwork to informing all the contractors and calling the DFB. They had to confirm the change with the DFB, as TSG Hoffenheim's U23s, U19s and women's team will all play their matches at Peter-Hofmann-Weg 3 from now on. "Everyone who comes up here, every new employee, every person who sees or puts a stamp on an envelope will now be keeping the memory of Peter alive. It was not just his way in a figurative sense – from the little boy who kicked a ball around here to the president," said Kristian Baumgärtner, who was himself lured to TSG from SV Sandhausen by Hofmann and Raimund Lietzau, who was coach at the time, to link up with the club in the Verbandsliga in 1997.

So many magical moments in the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion

Baumgärtner has been here ever since and was on the pitch when it was here, on what is today known as Peter-Hofmann-Weg 3, that the beautiful Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion was opened in the summer of 1999, kicking-off with a friendly match against the stars of Bayern Munich. This place has experienced so many magical moments, such as the cup sensation in 2003 against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, promotion to the second division in 2007 thanks to a 4-0 victory against Sportfreunde Siegen and the U17 German championship win in June 2008, sealed with a 6-4 victory over Borussia Dortmund. And who can forget what is probably the most significant moment: the 5-0 triumph against SpVgg Greuther Fürth on 18 May 2008, which saw TSG Hoffenheim make the jump into the Bundesliga. That was the last competitive game the TSG first team played here – a tremendous way to bring down the curtain in style. Current head coach of the national side, Hansi Flick, has stood on the sidelines here, as has Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann, while talented youngsters who would go on to become international stars such as Niklas Süle and Christoph Baumgartner played here during their youth. Now the stadium is the scene of massive European nights, thanks to the TSG women's team, who most recently took on huge clubs such as Barcelona and Arsenal in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The U19s have even managed to beat Real Madrid and Manchester City in the Youth League here.

This site, now on Peter-Hofmann-Weg 3, will always be a special place for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. A place that belongs to this village and yet has an impact that goes far beyond it. Kristian Baumgärtner is sure of one thing: "Peter would definitely have loved this idea."

View publisher imprint