Renè Rella is on the road to success with FC Val Gardena.

Val Gardena's Rella: "Nobody had us on their radar"

The title race in the regional league is heating up. Four teams are within three points of each other at the top of the table. One of them is FC Val Gardena, where Renè Rella has been in charge since this season. He has led the Ladins to the top with some of the most beautiful football in the regional league.

01 April 2025

From: cst

When Renè Rella is asked about his team's style of play, he has to smile briefly. "I would say I'm a football aesthete," he adds with a laugh.

Their direct competitors agree. Naturno coach Patrick Fliri says that Val Gardena has an absolute top coach on the sidelines with Rella. "He's a really good man," says Fliri. Thomas Ritsch, coach of Ahrntal, also appreciates Val Gardena's style of play: "They certainly play the best football in the league."

Despite praise – Rella remains down to earth

Rella took over as coach of FC Gherdëina last summer. Since then, things have been on a steep upward trajectory. In their second year of the regional league, Jan Martin Vinatzer and his team are battling for the Oberliga. Currently, Val Gardena is two points behind league leaders Ahrntal. "Nobody expected us. But we're having fun and know what we're capable of," says Rella about his team's strong season. Dreaming of the Oberliga is allowed, but Rella remains grounded: "We mustn't forget that many of our players played with Val Gardena in the 2nd Amateur League." The coach also emphasizes one more point: "Last year, Val Gardena conceded a lot of goals. A lot of clean-up work was necessary this summer."

Val Gardena goalkeeper Lukas Demetz comes from the youth team of FC Südtirol.

The coach had already ingrained the offensive style of play that Rella uses with Val Gardena as a player: "I always wanted to have the ball, and that hasn't changed to this day. It's simply my style of football." However, Rella rightly emphasizes: "We're not only good offensively, but also have the third-best defense in the regional league. In the spring, we only conceded five goals. Ultimately, we don't want to play the most beautiful football, but the most successful."