What happens on media day?

The TSG 1899 Hoffenheim players and coaching staff have a special appointment coming up, just as they do every year: for a couple of hours on Monday, the senior players will be transformed from footballers into models, and will be photographed and filmed in the PreZero Arena. You will be able to see the results of this – namely, snippets for television, photographs and much more – throughout the season. This is because all of the scenes and pictures which are used to display the line-up before each game are produced on the Bundesliga Media Day. Furthermore, the photos taken on Media Day will appear on the video screen in the PreZero Arena and on TSG's social media channels. Included among those are pictures of celebrations when TSG score goals, but also normal photographs when players are substituted on and off.

On Media Day, different stations are kept ready for the players who have to move through them in around four hours. Action photos, photos of celebrations and portrait photos are taken so that plenty of material for autograph cards and appearances in magazines is available. Added to that, there are various video formats such as a short introduction, goal celebrations and what are known as vignettes, that is to say, short clips of each player that are shown before each match when the team's formation is presented.

Why does the media day take place?

A media team belonging to the German Football League (DFL) pays a visit to every Bundesliga participant and takes the same photos and makes the same videos of each and every player in order to be able to provide licensed partners such as the TV broadcasters "Sky" and "Eurosport" with a large amount of video and photographic material. The clubs may use this material, but the DFL also makes use of it to market the Bundesliga abroad. Consequently, certain TSG players greet overseas fans in their mother tongues during Media Day. These recordings can be seen prior to Bundesliga matches involving TSG Hoffenheim that will be aired outside of Germany. However, you will not immediately recognise all of the pictures shown on television and on the video screen: the professional players only pose in front of a green or white wall on Media Day. The background is added later, and it looks as though the footballers were standing in the stadium or in front of a large crowd.

A few unusual pictures and videos will also be created due to the fact that the photographs must be useable up until the winter break: three years ago, the former TSG striker Sandro Wagner dressed up as Santa Claus and wished fans a Merry Christmas while it was still summer. We are excited to see who will take on the role of TSG Father Christmas this year!