RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from BBC Sport — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 2 sources
In south-west Germany, close to the border of France, lies the small town of Elversberg.
It has no railway station and a population of just 13,000, but on Saturday it will enjoy a moment of history as its football team plays in the Bundesliga for the first time.
The club have enjoyed a meteoric rise, having gone from the regional leagues in Germany to the top flight in just a few years.
And their coach Vincent Wagner has not played down the enormity of the task ahead for his side.
"For the team to avoid relegation in the top flight would be like a journey to Mars," he said.
But Elversberg are well-versed in defying the odds, and will aim to do so again this season.
"It might sound like the rise has been a rush but at every stage the floor was solid before the next one was built," Elversberg's technical director Josef Welzmuller said.
"We did it step by step and it didn't feel like a fairytale for the people here because they are so strong in their decision-making and very clear in how they want to play and we want to act as a club.
"This is the whole magic to be honest, and a lot of very, very hard work."
With three promotions in the past five years, Elversberg have swiftly climbed from the fourth tier of German football to the top flight.
It is not unusual in football for a small team to enjoy a rapid rise - Wrexham have famously done just that having gone from non-league football to the Championship .
But while they have been helped by having wealthy owners, Elversberg have never had similar financial clout - and as a result have had to do things a little differently.
A key figure in Elversberg being able to rise as quickly as they have was Ole Book.
A former footballer in Germany's lower leagues, Book joined Elversberg in 2017 as a scout, and within a year was promoted to sporting director.
Book had an eye for spotting talented youngsters and giving them the platform to showcase their emerging talent by becoming key players in the Elversberg team.
One of those players was Nick Woltemade, who was brought in on loan from Werder Bremen II in 2022 and went on to score 10 goals that season. Woltemade then joined Stuttgart before his £69m club record move to Newcastle last year.
Book's impressive work at Elversberg ultimately caught the eye of Borussia Dortmund, who appointed him as sporting director in April, with the club specifically highlighting his ability to find and develop young players, "creating value for the squad".
Despite his departure, Elversberg have not changed their philosophy for the coming campaign, with talented youth being the main focus of their recruitment.
"We won't do anything different," Welzmuller added.
"The identity stays the same and it is built on three core pillars. The first is to be brave, the second is to be intense and the third is to be clever.
"You will see when you watch us we want high-intensity players, and that will stay the same forever."
A difficult season lies ahead, with Elversberg having to face the likes of Harry Kane's Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Dortmund.
The fans and residents of the town are excited by the challenge, and the club are represented everywhere when you walk through the streets.
"What happened in the last few years was exceptional for the town," Welzmuller said.
"When you walk or drive through the town at the moment you see Elversberg flags all around and you see people walking around with the team's merchandise like a hat or jersey, which makes us all feel very proud.
"I feel like the club is part of the life of the people here."
First to visit the town are Leverkusen - the team that produced their own fairytale just two years ago by winning the Bundesliga title unbeaten.
"For us, the Bundesliga feels so far away at times. And yet, if you set aside the infrastructure and the money and just focus on playing football, we can - funnily enough - somehow already keep up with the pace," he said.
"We've had a long and intensive pre-season, strengthened the team as much as we could, and managed to keep most of the players we wanted to keep.
What is the aim for Kompany, Kane and Bayern?
Why Herrera is playing for free in Spanish third division
Tipped for relegation to title winners - AGF's 'King Arthur' moment
Get football news sent straight to your phone
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.