Lars Ricken: "We are leading the way at youth level"

The former player, who scored the all-important goal against Juventus in the 1997 Champions League final in Munich, announced infrastructural improvements at the training ground in Hohenbuschei but was keen to emphasise: "Brackel is a workplace. And it shall remain so."

If you had to give out school grades, what mark would you give the youth teams in their half-year reports?
"It's difficult to assess across the board. You need to differentiate a bit and consider special things. In the summer it was top marks because we became champions in four categories, but now I'd say it's a B+. So there is still room for improvement."

Let's start with the U23s, who still haven't lost a game this season. Has the aim now become promotion to the third tier?
"In sporting terms we always want to achieve the maximum. But that's a double-edged sword. In the third tier you are usually fighting relegation, while in the regional league you win more often, score a lot more goals and can more readily show your strengths. We want to support the U23 lads on their career path and promote them, because very few make the leap from U19 level to the Bundesliga straightaway, such as Marcel Halstenberg, who moved from our U23s to FC St. Pauli and is now a regular at RB Leipzig. The development of this team shows us just how right it was to recognise the importance of the U23s and to keep them focused on the football, as other clubs have failed to do. To come back to your question: obviously we won't fight against promotion to the third tier."

U23 coach Daniel Farke has coveted interest from a number of professional clubs. Is he in your plans beyond the end of the season?
"This shows that it is not only the players of Borussia Dortmund that are in demand. We will hold talks with Daniel soon. Twelve former employees in the youth department are currently employed in the first-team setups at Bundesliga clubs, whether as coaches, co-coaches, athletics coaches or physiotherapists. We see that, too, as recognition of our work."

"I take my hat off to the U19s"

Let's move on to the U19s, who have gone into the winter break in second and trail leaders Schalke 04 by a point. I think a lot of experts expected them to drop down into mid-table given the numerous setbacks they have suffered. But they got their act together quickly...
"I can only take my hat off to this team. In Felix Passlack and Christian Pulisic, they have lost two top players to the first team. Obviously for the two lads in question and the youth academy, it's great news; but for the U19s, it means a major loss of quality. The serious injuries to Janni Serra, Dario Scuderi und Patrick Fritsch mean they are missing three more of their standout performers. It is important to take into account what impact these brutal injuries have on the other players. They have progressed through the youth system together for many years, forging friendships, and then experience these terrible injuries up close and personal. And then suddenly their coach Hannes Wolf, with whom they have been through thick and thin, is no longer there. These were all severe disruptions. The whole team including the coaching staff deserve the highest recognition for how professionally and responsibly they have dealt with it all, and how each player has developed as a person."

On a sporting level, what is possible and realistic by the end of the season?
"After Benjamin Hoffmann replaced Hannes Wolf, I made it clear that there would not be the slightest of deviations from our sporting path and that qualification for the final rounds of the German Championship must remain our aim. The team is on the right track. In the UEFA Youth League we were the only team to qualify from the group stages for the play-off round and we now want reach the last 16 by beating Maccabi Haifa. Something that cannot be overstated is that four of our current U19 players have already made appearances for the first team, and Jakob Bruun Larsen was the youngest Danish player to take part in the Olympic tournament."

"You can see positive developments"

The U17s also went into the winter break in second place behind Schalke, but they have played less consistently. Are there explanations for this?
"Unfortunately, we unnecessarily dropped points against teams that are not in the top third of the table. One must not lose sight of the fact that important players such as Robin Kehr, Niclas Knoop or Julius Schell were unavailable for selection for weeks due to severe injuries. The U17s had a change in coach to deal with, too. But you can see that the lads have developed well, meaning that we are hopeful this team will qualify for the final rounds of the German Championship. There is no reason to rule this out, especially as – similarly to the U19s – second place will suffice."

It is one win after another for the U15s in the Regional League. Is another standout group emerging there?
"This team have only lost one match and drawn one match over the course of the last one and a half years. Peter Warzinski is doing an extremely good job here and has made cool decisions in terms of scouting and personnel. The level in training helps the lads with their sporting formation and their individual development. This is reflected in the results we get each weekend."

"We are setting the standards at youth level"

The Youth Academy Centre has been awarded the highest certification. But of course, standing still represents a step backwards. What does BVB need to do in order to meet the highest standards in the future?
"In Germany, we have set the standard the standard at youth level in recent years and attracted attention, not only due to winning championships. We are currently leading the way, ahead of the competition directly on our doorstep such as Schalke, Leverkusen, Köln, Mönchengladbach and Bochum, and highly ambitious clubs at youth level such as RB Leipzig, VfL Wolfsburg und TSG Hoffenheim. The English are stocking up their youth teams; at each of our matches there are scouts that have come over. But moaning about it isn't the right approach. We need to see this as a challenge and to build on our strengths in this competition as well: we are creative, committed and ambitious, while at the same time remaining like a family, honest and dealing with each other in a highly respectful manner. This is noticed by our parents and guests too. We will not deviate from this path."

Borussia Dortmund have almost 150,000 members but only a few fans attend the matches of the youth teams in Brackel, even though they usually high on quality and entertainment. What can the club do to raise the level of interest in the junior teams?
"As Hans-Joachim Watzke announced, we are not only building a covered stand with seating at the training ground, but want to offer the spectators more comfort on the whole so that we can hold our home games in the UEFA Youth League and the final round of the German Championship here too. We will carry out significant improvements and are planning, for example, a gastronomy area. But the people involved remain a much more important and crucial factor. We are well-placed in this respect. Everyone knows their position, feels comfortable in their position, everyone works with the players' development ‒ and therefore the club ‒ in mind. Brackel is not a wellness zone, but a place of work. And it shall remain so."

Interview: Wilfried Wittke