Schalke kick off pre-season in front of 3,700 fans

Long before the 14:30 CEST start, Ernst-Kuzorra-Weg 1 was already full of life. Fans of all ages picked up Schalke merchandise in the club shop, children played football wherever they could find space, and supporters caught up over cold drinks about their summer plans and trips. Under the shadow of the old Parkstadion, though, there was no doubt what had brought the Schalke family together: the chance to see the first-team squad up close again.

The keenest observers had taken their places along the barrier at pitch 3 well in advance by the time S04’s head coach and his staff appeared on the freshly watered turf. Miron Muslic was greeted with the first applause of the afternoon and returned it straight away, clapping the loyal Schalke fans who had also gathered on the bank behind the goal towards the club offices.

Conny Wuest could barely wait for the players to come out. She had travelled from Stuttgart especially to see her favourite club. “I’m really happy we’re finally up and running again,” she said, then added with a smile: “What else are we supposed to focus on?” Even the World Cup, during an otherwise largely football-free spell, could not come close to matching her passion for Schalke.

The wait was soon over. A little ahead of schedule, the squad made their way over to the training pitch, led by promotion-winning captain Kenan Karaman. The fans gave them a warm reception, as did the coaching staff, who greeted each player individually. New signings Satoshi Tanaka and Junior Adamu, along with Luca Vozar, who was still playing for the U19s last year, were given a special welcome as their teammates formed a guard of honour. What came next was a little rougher around the edges, with the odd flick on the ear as they ran through.

A few minutes later, all attention turned to Alexander Storck, head of athletic performance, as he took charge of the warm-up. The session had a bit of everything: ball drills, classic 5v2 rondos and various running exercises. Once the players were fully warmed up, it was time for one of the most popular elements of training under Muslic: football tennis on four marked-out courts. It did not take long for things to get competitive, with Hasan Kuruçay calling for VAR with a wave of the arms after one disputed ball. The supporters watching from the sidelines loved it.

There was plenty for fans to enjoy away from the training pitch too. The youngest Schalke supporters, in particular, were spoilt for choice around Berger Feld. Face painting, a Schalke bouncy castle, a Subsoccer table, a shot speed measuring station and the chance to meet mascot ERWIN all made sure there were smiles wherever you looked.

Those smiles grew even wider once training was over. Ron Schallenberg, Moussa Sylla and Christian Gomis came out on top in the football-tennis competition after an hour of hard work, then joined the other 19 players from the opening session at a long wooden table. From that point on, every fan had the chance to get close to the players. Timo Becker, Loris Karius, Kenan Karaman and the rest of the squad worked their way through the line, signing shirts, photos and plenty more, while stopping for selfies along the way. “We’ve got all of them on the shirt in one go,” said one delighted father standing with his son.

After more than an hour and a half of signing jerseys, photos and even PlayStation controllers, Schalke’s first step towards the Bundesliga season was complete. The excitement for what lies ahead, however, had only grown. Andrea from Gelsenkirchen-Beckhausen summed up the feeling on day one: “I can’t even describe how excited I am.”