A real bang for second division football club FC Blau-Weiss Linz: Managing director and mastermind Stefan Reiter informed the media about his future in a personal statement this afternoon. The 61-year-old will retire from Stahlstadtklub at the end of the year. Board member Manuel Wellmann will take over the blue and white management from January 1, 2023.
“What Stefan Reiter and his team have achieved for the club deserves the greatest recognition. The decision to go into well-deserved retirement has not been easy for Stefan in recent months. The structures created in our office and the economic prudence with which Stefan has always managed the association are merits that will shape the association in the long term. If Stefan Reiter hadn’t come to FC Blau-Weiss Linz in 2019, it probably wouldn’t exist in its current form,” says Manuel Wellmann, Reiter’s designated successor.
Board member Sargon Mikhaael explains further: “Stefan Reiter is a manager with rough edges, someone who always communicated honestly and directly and gave the club a lot of security in a difficult phase. However, the established structures and the economic consolidation of the association allow us to continue the business without friction losses even without Stefan. My greatest thanks for that. For the future orientation of FC Blau-Weiss Linz, this means that in addition to the departure of Stefan Reiter and the takeover of the management by Manuel Wellmann, the board structure also needs to be changed. This will be communicated in a timely manner. We would also like to thank Stefan for his offer to continue to support the association on a voluntary basis – and this is not to be taken for granted. We accept this with pleasure.”
The personal rider declaration in the wording
In November 2019, I took on what is probably the most difficult task in my professional life at FC Blau-Weiss Linz: the club had reached a low point in economic, organizational and sporting terms. No sooner had the first necessary steps been taken to give the club a new future than Corona…
Despite all this misery, with the help of my team, the board of directors and our loyal partners, I managed to turn all these topics into something positive. The association was able to stabilize itself economically and meanwhile even a positive equity capital has been built up. We will therefore also be involved in the Bundesliga licensing process for the first time.
From an organizational point of view, I can proudly announce that my small – but fine – team of employees around Stephanie Höller MA (finance, licensing), Peter Huliak (organization, team management) and Patrick Vormair (marketing, project management) is more than “suitable for the Bundesliga”. In terms of sport, the main people responsible, such as Tino Wawra, Ronny Brunmayr and Gerald Scheiblehner and their team, achieved something unbelievable that could not have been imagined in November 2019, even in the wildest dreams. – The championship title 2020 and the excellent 2nd place in the current season, which justifiably fuels hopes for promotion to the 1st Bundesliga.
Aside from the professional department, I would like to emphasize the junior division at this point, which runs the entire game operation almost independently – despite the well-known grievances in the missing infrastructure, which do not allow optimal game and training operations. I’m also proud that we managed to find a partner for women’s football in Union Kleinmünchen. The integration of women’s football at Blau-Weiss Linz was a matter of personal concern to me.
My personal goals (and what I expected of myself) when I took up the post of Managing Director of FC Blau-Weiss Linz were, among other things, to ensure profitability and to raise the organizational structure and the sporting area to a “Bundesliga” level. I think this was also fulfilled. Therefore, I will resign from my position as managing director on December 31, 2022 and retire at the beginning of 2023. I made that decision back in the summer of 2022 and I just wanted to find the right time to announce it. The board of directors of the association was involved in this planning right from the start. However, I have promised the board that I will continue to be available as a volunteer until the new stadium opens, to bring key areas such as licensing and stadium marketing to a positive conclusion.
The previous board, Mr. Manuel Wellmann will take over the management on January 1st, 2023. In conclusion, I would like to thank all employees, partners and helpers for the trust they have placed in me and I wish the association that it will achieve all future goals with calm and prudence.
On behalf of all my companions at Blau-Weiß, I would like to thank Mr. Thank you to GD Erich Haider, who always stood by my side with advice and action.
Source: Nachrichten
