Successful end to the season

The Reds signed off the 2013/14 Bundesliga season in style with a 3-2 victory over SC Freiburg. 96 ended the campaign with a run of five games without defeat, picking up 13 points in that timeframe and securing tenth place. So what now? The players haven’t been let go for their deserved summer break just yet. Their holidays officially begin on May 20th and there is a lot for the boys to do until then.

Friendly matches

There are four friendly matches on the agenda. First up is an away match at VfL Bückeburg on Tuesday, May 13th. Kick-off is at 18:30 CEST in the Jahnstadion in Bückeburg (Graf-Wilhelm-Str. 13a, 31675 Bückeburg). The Reds then travel to the Eintracht-Stadion in Bad Bentheim on Thursday, May 15th. The managers of the area have already put together a selection of the best players from the region to will face 96. Kick-off is at 17:30 CEST at SV Eintracht Nordhorn's stadium (Heideweg 18, 48529 Nordhorn). On the following day (Friday, May 16th, 18:30 CEST), 96 will face Landesliga side SV Bavenstedt. The match will be played in the Royal Spielstuben Arena (Bavenstedter Hauptstraße 51 31135 Hildesheim). The finish to this friendly-match marathon is on Monday, May 19th at TSV Havelse. The local derby with our neighbours from Garbsem will kick off at 18:30 CEST in the Wilhelm-Langrehr-Stadion.

Zieler and Sakai to go to the World Cup

While many of the 96-players can begin their holidays at the end of May, Ron-Robert Zieler (Germany) and Hiroki Sakai (Japan) have both been included in their respective countries' squads for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil. Didier Ya Konan (Ivory Coast) and Sébastien Pocognoli (Belgium) are still hoping for a call-up. The 2014 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 12th until July 13th in Brazil.


A typical scene from a training camp

Back together at the end of June

The 96-players who have not been selected for the World Cup will begin performance diagnostic tests on June 26th in preparation for the 2014/15 season. The campaign officially starts for Hannover 96 on Sunday, June 29th with a training session open to the public. Tayfun Korkut’s men will take part in a training camp in Bad Radkersburg just a month later from July 27th until August 5th. As in summer 2010 and 2011, the 96-players’ training base will be in Steiermark and in the 4-star luxurious "Romantik Hotel im Park".

Bundesliga begins at the end of August

Before the next Bundesliga season starts, the Reds have to play in the first round of the German Cup. The first fixtures are planned to take place of the weekend commencing August 15th. The 2014/15 Bundesliga campaign finally begins a week later, on the weekend from August 22nd to 24th.