TSV Schott Mainz - Otto-Schott-Sportzentrum

TSV SCHOTT Mainz eV

Otto-Schott-Sportzentrum

Karlsbader Straße 23

55122 Mainz-Gonsenheim

Rhineland-Palatinate

Germany

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Ground Number: 1476
Saturday 13th September 2025

TSV Schott Mainz 1-2 KSV Hessen Kassel

Regionalliga Südwest

TSV SCHOTT MAINZ - A BRIEF HISTORY

TSV Schott Mainz, or Turn- und Sportverein Schott Mainz e.V. to give them their full name, was established in 1953. Apart from football, the club also offers more than 30 other sports like ice hockey, field hockey and American football and has 4,000 members. It is financially supported by Schott AG, a nationwide glass firm in Germany. They earned promotion to the tier-four 2. Amateurliga Rheinhessen in 1962. The first season was a success, coming third in the league, but results declined from there on and in 1969 they were relegated. In the next four decades, the club played in local amateur football before returning to its former heights.

Mainz began its rise through the league system in 2008 when it won the local Kreisliga championship, the first of four consecutive championships and promotions. In 2009, the club won the Bezirksklasse, followed by the Bezirksliga in 2010 and the Landesliga in 2011. Playing in the Verbandsliga Südwest for the next three seasons from 2011, Mainz came seventh in its first season there, followed by a runners-up finish in 2013. A Verbandsliga title in 2014 meant the club was promoted to the Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar for the first time. They won the title in 2017 but were relegated from the Regionalliga Südwest after a single season. Another two seasons were spent at the fourth level between 2020 & 2022. They won the title again after a single season and have become a bit of a yoyo club between the two divisions. After another promotion last season, they are back in the Regionalliga Südwest for this season.

MY VISIT

When booking this trip away, I had a number of options available. Serbia, Romania, Gibraltar, Georgia, Slovenia, Ireland, Portugal and Lithuania were all considered, but a lot of them were dismissed due to the fixtures being released too slowly to make flights affordable. Germany was a lot better in that respect, especially for the lower leagues and when I found out that I could get from Frankfurt to Luxembourg on a Flixbus, that sealed it. I'd enjoyed the city nine years ago, but was a lot more experienced in going abroad now. Good prices were secured on a flight from Heathrow (£70) and two nights' hotel accommodation (£100). Flying from Stansted gave a cheaper headline price on the flight, but long-winded and costly transfers at each end made it less attractive. As for the accommodation, it was useful being in the business district as there was plenty of space at weekends. It led me to splashing out on going for something nice, rather than some dodgy, cheap option that risked a poor night's sleep.

From my game at Mainz Frauen, it was a 35-minute walk to the ground. I stopped at Aldi to get some energy drinks, a toothbrush, some chocolate and a cheese pretzel. The only let down was the booze section, which offered a pitiful range unless you fancied some wine. It was another nice walk, and I arrived ten minutes before kickoff. It was €10 cash only, though I could have paid extra to get a ticket online. I came prepared this time, lessons learned from Vienna that football clubs are not as advanced in the UK when it comes to the adoption of cards. The drink range was as limited as Aldi's, with no Apfelwein available as we were too far from Frankfurt. Like Parmos from Middlesbrough and Oatcakes from Stoke as well as Kriek Beer from Belgium, it's baffling that the rest of the country and world don't want to take up something brilliant. The visitors had brought a huge support and were in good voice. That said, I think I inadvertently went in the away end, though why they feel the need to segregate, I don't know. Schott were clearly big fans of fences as they were everywhere. That, along with a running track, didn't adversely affect the view, though.

 

TSC Schott Mainz were sitting in 15th place, just outside of the relegation zone on goal difference. They had won one, drawn two and lost three of their games so far. They were unbeaten in three, having drawn 3-3 at SC Freiburg II last time out.  KSV Hessen Kassel were in 13th, having won one, drawn three and lost two. They'd drawn their last two games 2-2, the last at home to SG Sonnenhof Großaspach. The hosts took the lead on ten minutes with a decent run and shot. Hessen Kassel equalised on 39 minutes, heading home a cross. The away supporters were nice and friendly and their stadium looks like a great place. For some reason, they played Three Lions at half-time, a song the Germans have adopted with enthusiasm. It was a long half-time, over 20 minutes, which meant that my time frame for getting to game three was very tight. Hessen Kassel scored again around the hour, heading home a cross to make it 2-1. They hit the post and thumped a shot over the bar just before full-time, and Schott never really looked like scoring.

 

THE GROUND

The guy at the turnstile was very friendly but it was disappointing to see the disparity of treatment between home and away fans. The visitors got one side of the terrace and a fence surrounding the pitch, Given the friendliness of the away fans  it's baffling that they segregate. At least reasonable food and drink options are available but I am unsure if merch would be available in the home end. The ground is one sided and comprises of covered seats in the middle and an open terrace either side. Given that it has a running track, the view is not bad but it was easily the most disappointing of the four grounds I visited. That said, I still think a visit is worthwhile if the fixtures fall in your favour.