10

Years of academies
Talent pools of top-level German football
 1 foreword
League President Dr Reinhard Rauball

2 PerfectlY trained
Football ‘Made in Germany’ again a mark of quality

6 “the investment will PaY off”

Interview with Christian Seifert, Chief Executive, DFL

8 an imPortant steP towards a successful future

EURO 2000 signalled a rethink

10 “we outstriPPed france long ago”

Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder in conversation

12 “it must be Possible to combine a bundesliga career with a levels”

Andreas Rettig on the challenges for the future

14 the talent Pool at baYer 04 leverkusen

Werkself Academy revisited

20 “giving the PlaYers air to breathe”

Sports psychologist Dr Uwe Harttgen on opportunities and risks

22 construction boom benefits german football

German academies are the best on international level

24 the home of eintracht’s Youth team

Behind the scenes at the Frankfurt Academy

26 QualitY control for the academies

Examination of up-and-coming schools makes a good thing even better

29 “a reciPe for success”

DFL Director Holger Hieronymus on the advantages of certification

30 a shining examPle of successful integration

Talents from 80 countries train and learn together

32 “everY PlaYer needs individual attention”

1. FSV Mainz 05 coach Thomas Tuchel on experiences with professionals and young talents

36 facts and figures

Statistics from ten years of German academies

45 Publishing credits
 Foreword Dr Reinhard Rauball 1

Dear Readers

I t was a few months ago that the Ger­

man national team, with its fresh,
attacking and technically brilliant ­style
of play thrilled football fans around
­Europe. The times in which we had to look
appreciatively to France, Spain or the
Netherlands have passed. The provisos
laid down in the licensing from the sport­
the ­globe at the 2010 FIFA World Cup ing, medical and pedagogical fields, com­
in ­South Africa. A young German team bined with a unique philosophy for every
with an average age under 25, consisting academy, guarantee an integral education
exclusively of players from the Bundes­ of young players – and ensure that these
liga, took the world by surprise under youngsters also have a future outside of
the guidance of national coach Joachim football.
Löw, with beauti­ful and highly successful
attacking football – and sent fans and We can therefore thank those clubs,
pundits into raptures. Most lately this not only that they have laid the infra­
superior performance by our national structural foundations but also because
team has shown that the measures deci­ they emphasise the seriousness of player
ded upon by the League Association and education by the selection of qualified
the 36  professional clubs in Germany management staff. The German Football
ten years ago were correct. For all clubs, Association (DFB) should also be thanked
the compulsory intro­duction of acad­ for its helpful co-operation in this area.
emies for young players in 2001 was the In particular, the DFB is performing out­
­building block which laid the way to a suc­ standing work with its centres concept
cessful future for German football. Today, and have in Matthias Sammer a proven
ten years later, we can enjoy the fruits of expert in the field of working with young
the labour of those academies. And, of players.
this I feel sure, there will be plenty more
success to come.

There have seldom been so many

technically and tactically gifted ­talents
playing in the Bundesliga. Bastian
Schwein­steiger, Philipp Lahm and Manuel
Neuer already belong in the category of Dr Reinhard Rauball
world-class players. Young players such President of the League Association
as Thomas Müller, Mario Götze, André
Schürrle or the Bender twins, Sven and
Lars, to name but a few from the Bundes­
liga, have the potential to reach a similar
level. Not to mention Mesut Özil and Sami
Khedira, currently causing a sensation
in Madrid. The German youth policy is
internationally recognised as the model
to be aspired to, and has even been most
recently cited by UEFA as the best in

“The German youth concept

has become internationally
recognised as the template
to be emulated.”
2 Success stories The Stars of the Academies

“Perfectly
trained”
Football ‘Made in Germany’ has again become a mark of quality –
Germany’s elite players are proving a national and international
sensation, ten years after the founding of the academies.
 3

T homas Müller, from the record

title-winning team FC Bayern
Munich was the top scorer at the 2010
World Cup in South Africa at the age of
20; national team goalkeeper Manuel
Neuer, from Schalke 04, proves his
world-class ability on a weekly basis and
is being monitored by all of Europe’s top
clubs; and Mario Götze, at just 18, is being
described as the latest ‘talent of the cen-
tury’. In the past decade the academies
have developed into true pools of talent.

The list of top-class footballers, pre-

pared for professional life in the 36 acad-
emies of the Bundesliga and Bundes­liga 2
clubs, is constantly added to by new­
comers such as the Bender twins, Sven
and Lars, or by now seasoned world-class
players such as Philipp Lahm or Bastian
Schweinsteiger. Of a total of 525 ­players
in the Bundesliga, 275 (52.4%) have
been trained at the academies. On aver-
age, around 15 players in the squad of
every club have been educated in one of
the academies. 107 (20.4%) of all Bun-
desliga professionals today even play for
a club at whose academy they were edu-
cated. These are termed ‘local players.’
“The figures attest to the fact that youth
education in the Bundesliga is bearing
fruit. In this way the foundations are laid
whereby the fans can increasingly look
forward to seeing academy-trained stars
in the Bundesliga,” says League President
Dr Reinhard Rauball. Professional clubs in
Germany have invested well in excess of
half a billion euros in their youth systems
since the 2001-02 season. A good in-
vestment which has propelled the whole
of German football back into Europe’s
elite. The Bundesliga conquered the in-
ternational stage by most recently win-
ning back the third automatic Champions
League place and is also hot on the heels
of world and European champions Spain
in UEFA’s five-year ranking.

“A crucial reason for its most recent

success is surely the outstanding work
of the Bundesliga academies. The fact
that they were compulsorily established
shortly after the turn of the century­
4 Success stories The Stars of the Academies

residing at their clubs. “Without the work

Club investment into the academies and support of the league the successes
in € million of the German national team would be
inconceivable. Crucially, thanks to the
85.70
academies, there are more and better
80 78.24 educated players today than ever before.
The German Football League is tapping
70 69.20 this well of talent. The national team,
therefore, has a real chance of winning
60.87 61.63
60
56.92 57.79 titles again,” says Seifert.

50 47.85 To ensure that these gifted young-

sters amount to something in the future,
40 the Academies Committee, formed in
2001, is likewise working constantly
2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010
on opportunities for improving and ex-
Total investment: approx. €520 million panding the foundations for working
with young talents. Under its Chairman
Andreas Rettig, General Manager of
FC Augsburg, the Committee will aim
to ensure that the current positive re-
sults in the field of youth development
do not stagnate. “We can’t let ourselves
­cannot be praised enough. In this sea- over 64%, the highest figure since the be blinded by the recent successes of
son alone €90 million has flowed from 1998-99 season. young players in the Bundesliga and the
the League to the academies – invest- national team. The ten-year anniversary
ment which will prove worthwhile in the Furthermore, the latest successes of of the Bundesliga academies should, on
future,” emphasises Christian Seifert, the national team under coach Joachim the contrary, be for all of us an oc-
Chief ­Executive of the German Football Löw would, undoubtedly, not have been casion to think about how,
League (DFL). possible without the professional work in the ten years to come,
of the coaches and support staff at the we can still be set-
Since 2001 the German academies academies. The whole of German foot- ting the standard
have, at the very least, caught up with ball is currently seeing the benefits, not in youth and elite
those of France and the Netherlands only from superbly trained footballers player develop-
as models which set the best standard. but also in that youth players often attain ment,” explains Rettig. The FC Augsburg
Previously it was the Ajax Academy an impressive level of maturity through General Manager is eager above all to
and the French Centre for Excellence at extend further the co-operation of clubs
Clairefontaine which led the way by some with schools. At present it is being con-
distance. The rethink in Germany began sidered to provide schools with football
with its disastrous performance at EURO instructors as a service.
2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands, Youth players
when the German team failed to qualify at the academies of the 36 professional clubs When Wolfsburg captain Marcel
from the group stages with just one point Schäfer thinks back to his time at the
and one goal. The programme to promote 2010/2011 Teams Players 1860 München Academy, he is some-
talent was launched, introducing com- times reminded of a tough school. “You
pulsory youth academies for all profes- U23 35 710 tread a path which isn’t always easy.
sional clubs as one of the conditions for U19/18 39 843 Being away from home at 15 years old,
maintaining licensed status. Ten years U17 35 721 you definitely shed a few tears. At that
later the German promotion of its youth U16 33 645 age you certainly don’t admit it. You’re
and elite talent is recognized throughout U15 35 687 too proud for that,” says Schäfer. Today
Europe. U14 35 658 Schäfer has become a fully-fledged
U13 35 613 Bundesliga professional. Nevertheless,
Thanks to the strong foundation pro- U12 35 568 Rettig sees the need for further indi-
vided by the academies, the proportion vidual improvement regarding football
of German players in licensed football is Total 282 5.445 and schools. Every coach at an academy
 5

has taken up the cause of individual en- national team level and at club level, an liga is making significant contributions
couragement and intensive communi- important precondition for team spirit to the integration of foreigners and
cation. The social behaviour learned and success. Moreover, young players ­people with a migration background in
at the academies has become, both at enjoy a constantly improving education Germany. Regardless of their origins,
at the academies. A survey led by Dr Uwe players at the academies are able to
Harttgen, former Bundesliga player at identify with German culture. Moreover,
SV Werder Bremen and Hannover 96, they are highly motivated to learn, dis-
and now director of the Werder Bremen play only minor deficiencies in linguistic
Academy, shows that the proportion of proficiency and knowledge of the cul-
high-school graduates at the academies ture they live and associate more with
is higher than the national average. their German contemporaries than the
national average. Alongside the sport-
A further socially important ing and educational promotion of young
aspect of the 36 acad- players German professional football
emies is the fact that thus has made a refreshing contribution
the Bundes­ to integration in Germany as well. 

275
from 525 Players
currently playing
in the Bundesliga
were educated at an
academy.
6 Interview Christian Seifert

“Without the work and

support of the League
the successes of the
German national team
would be inconceivable.”

“The investment
will pay off”
Christian Seifert, Chief Executive Officer DFL, praises the work of the academies in the Bundesliga and
Bundesliga 2 and predicts a rosy future for the German national team.

M r Seifert, ten years ago the

compulsory implementation
of academies for all clubs was decided.
How important was this decision from a
tude goes to Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder,
who consistently encouraged these
reforms as the Chairman of the League
Committee at the time. The outstand-
see the effects of this decision in every
squad.”

In what ways?
present-day perspective? ing work of the academies is surely a “In the current season, 275 players
Christian Seifert: “This deci- crucial factor behind the recent inter- of the 525 playing in the Bundesliga
sion by the League Association and its national successes of the Bundesliga, come from one of the 36 academies.
36 clubs and joint stock companies can- but also the national team. Considering This means that 52.4% of Bundesliga
not be underestimated. All our grati- the clubs today one can immediately active players have been educated by
 7

the Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2. On aver- The clubs have invested a lot of German Football League is tapping this
age there are 15 academy graduates in ­money in their academies. well of talent, and because of this, the
the squad of every club. After just ten “Since the introduction of the acad- national team has a real chance of win-
years such a quota is surely no mean emies in 2001, clubs have invested ning titles again.”
feat. That currently 107 (or 20.4%) of around €520 million in educating young
Bundesliga players are still active at the players. In this season alone €90 mil- How can the Bundesliga maintain
club where they were educated further lion has flowed from the League to the this high standard of player education?
shows how great the trust in the clubs’ academies – more than ever before. “To ensure the quality of education
own young talent has become – and just Clubs have pooled their investments we have introduced certification for the
how good these young players are.” into the infrastructure in particular. academies. Thus the clubs receive infor-
Training centres were built, the exist- mation from a neutral source on where
At the same time the quota of foreign ing ones were modernised or enlarged, they rank and where there is potential
players in the Bundesliga has declined in highly skilled coaches were employed for improvement.”
recent years. and residential schools set up, and
“For a long time after the Bosman rul- much more. These are all investments What other measures are in place?
ing the situation was such that more and which will pay off in the future. The “The Academies Committee is
more players from abroad were obliged players, who have graduated from the constantly working on ideas for im-
to come to Germany and young German academies over a period of four, five or provement. Above all, networking with
talent barely had a chance. This may have more years, are just now coming into schools is being encouraged. The com-
been due to a lack of confidence in our professional football.” bination of a career in football with a
own young players, but also in their inad- school education or vocational training
equate football skills. Through the acad- The performance of the German is elementary. Only a very few young
emies this quality has increased enor- national team at the 2010 World Cup in talents actually make the final leap
mously and, with this, the confidence of South Africa attracted worldwide atten- into professional football. We therefore
clubs in its own youth has grown. Today, tion. What role does the League play in consider it our social responsibility to
young German players are technically this development? provide youngsters, even outside of
and tactically well-educated. As a conse- “Without the work and support of football, with the best possible educa-
quence, more and more German players the League the successes of the Ger- tion. That more young boys from the
are taking to the field of professional man national team would be inconceiv- academies go on to a grammar school
football. There are already 57 German able. Crucially, thanks to the academies, than the national average shows that
players in the Bundesliga and the figure there are more and better educated this aspect of education is also taken
is as high as 71% in the Bundesliga 2.” players today than ever before. The very seriously indeed.”

Confidence
paying off: Tobias
Levels, 24, has
been playing
for Borussia
Mönchengladbach
for over a decade
8 The beginning Foundation of Academies

An important step towards

a successful future
The bitter first-round defeat at EURO 2000 was the key moment: at the turn of the millennium German football stared
disaster in the face – it completely lacked a professional foundation. What followed was a revolution in youth development,
which, on the tenth anniversary of the academies, is now globally recognised as the role model for success.

I t was immediately following EURO

2000 and the disappointing per­
formance of the national team that the
clubs of the Bundesliga and the German
was quickly set up. Chairman of the League
Committee Gerhard Mayer-­Vorfelder,
President of the German Football Associa-
tion (DFB) since 2001, made it a matter for
and running such an academy was added
to the list of club licensing parameters.

At the outset, the current Chairman

Football Association (DFB) called things decision at management level. The promo- of the Academies Committee, Andreas
to an emergency halt. The development tion of young talent lay right at the top of Rettig, who led the project in its opening
and support of young and highly talented the agenda of the President of the newly- phase from 2001 to 2002, had a lot of
players had to be comprehensively re- founded League Association, ­Werner persuading to do. It was clear that German
newed. The youth work of the then-World Hackmann. The DFB launched a pro- professional football had to introduce an
and ­European champions France at their gramme to promote talent and ­invested entirely new concept of education for sup-
­centre at Clairefontaine served as a par- millions in basic training and fee-based porting the clubs in the development of
ticularly strong model and guide. A task coaches. On 28 February 2011 the League talent. It wasn’t about a standardization
force, whose job it was to think outside Association decided on the compulsory of certain playing styles, as is customary
the box and come up with a concept for the introduction of youth academies for all in the Netherlands. Indeed, creating the
German development of young talents, 18  Bundesliga clubs. In fact, establishing kind of infrastructure where children and
 9

Ten years of
Academies

26/01/2011 Constituent meeting of the Academies Committee

07/05/2001 Constituent meeting of the Academies Committee

28/02/2001 Decision by the General Assembly of the Academies

Certification of Academies
Bundesliga 2 Academies
Bundesliga Academies

2001/2002 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011

alone invested more than half a billion premier competition are distributed ac-
Rolf Rüssmann euros in this period, developed a momen- cording to the strength of their academy.
was Chairman of tum of their own towards perfection. In For a three-star academy, the clubs are
the Academies the current 2011-12 season, 52.4% of promised additional revenues in excess
Committee from
all players in the Bundesliga were edu- of €300,000 on a yearly basis.
2002 until his
death in October cated at an academy. Thus, thanks to the
2009. work of the academies, national coach Under the chairmanship of Rolf Rüss-
Joachim Löw can tap into an ever-growing mann between 2002 and 2009, the certi-
well of high-quality young professionals, fication of academies was further pushed
who maintain the constant competition by the company Double PASS. Top of the
teens can thrive in, was (and continuous to within the national team. Furthermore, list of priorities was the measurement
be) the key objective. the regeneration time of young, compre- and certification of quality of the acad-
hensively trained national players is far emies of all clubs to create an objectively
In a next step requirement specifi- less than that of older professionals. With assessable picture. To ensure this, every-
cations and an agenda were drawn up. the help of the three-star evaluation sys- body, including coaches and the medical
From the 2001-02 season onwards the tem of the academies, the League Board staff, was examined. The league is con-
manage­ment of the German Football has created an important incentive: the vinced that this project of quality assess-
League (DFL), formed at the beginning of monies from the Champions League cof- ment will elevate German youth football
2001, incorporated these new structures fers for clubs who do not play in Europe’s to an even higher level. 
into the licensing regulations. One year
later the compulsory introduction of the
academies, which were growing in impor-
tance, was extended to the Bundesliga 2.
For years, DFL
For clubs to be issued their licence (the Director Holger
precondition for admission to any official Hieronymus and
competition), they had to hire full-time Chairman of
the Academies
youth coaches, whose respective quali-
Committee
fications are taken into consideration Andreas
when grading the academies, with those Rettig have
earning higher grades receiving higher been working
on further
funding. Moreover, appropriate training improving youth
grounds had to be built, a medical depart- development
ment established and co-operation with facilities.
schools initiated.

Through this the framework was

specified and, over the past ten years,
the promotion of youth and elite talent in
Germany, in which the professional clubs
10 Interview Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder

“We outstripped
France long ago”
As the erstwhile Chairman of the League Committee Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder
played a significant role in setting up the academies. Ten years later, the
former president of the German Football Association (DFB) gives the work
with German youngsters top marks.
 11

“We have almost perfected

the promotion of young
and elite talent in Germany
over the past ten years.”

What were the important aspects of founding the programme

for the promotion of talent and the Bundesliga academies ten
years ago?
“First and foremost we had to have a lot of money at the
ready. It was extremely important that the academies were a pre-
condition for meeting licensing requirements, making this com-
pulsory for Bundesliga clubs. I drove this idea forward in my time
as Chairman of the League Committee. Not long afterwards this
requirement was also applied to the clubs of the Bundesliga 2.
With this, we managed to cover the aspect of performance. Then
we managed to create 400 centres for promoting talent across
the whole of Germany and, after the 2006 World Cup, built over
1,000 mini pitches. They were milestones. I have always said that
these mini pitches replace street football, which you no longer

M
find these days. You learn football there. It was a comprehensive
promotion which, after ten years, is already showing its effect.”
r Mayer-Vorfelder, you gave top priority to youth
work and talent promotion. Over the past ten years This ‘comprehensive’ concept also went further, right?
the Bundesliga academies have become a definitive mark of “Yes, the U19 Bundesliga, followed shortly afterwards by
­quality. How do you assess the work of the clubs? the U17 Bundesliga, was also part of the establishment of
Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder: “We can be really proud the talent promotion programme and the academies. It was
of our youth work in Germany. Within ten years the number further­more decided to give scouting a higher priority in the
of young players in the Bundesliga has doubled. Today, these international organisations. And the clubs entered into co­
­players edge each other out in the national team thanks to their operation agreements with the 29 elite football schools.
fantastic ­education at the academies. You could say that we ­Players such as Mesut Özil, Toni Kroos, Jerome Boateng,
have almost perfected the promotion of young and elite talent ­Dennis Aogo, Serdar Tasci and Mario Gomez graduated from
in Germany in the past ten years. In former times France and the one of these schools. And even the young Julian Draxler from
Netherlands were the ultimate in this area – but we have long Schalke 04 was recently brought to an elite school so he could
outstripped them.” leave school with qualifications.”

Where do you still see the need for improvement? Currently, migration is another hot topic off pitch in Ger-
“It is envisaged that the academies will be extended to many. However, on pitch it doesn’t seem to be an issue at all …
the Third Division and the regional divisions. Thanks to the “The academies and training centres actually make a big
­talent promotion programmes we have good sub-structural contribution to integration. On the pitch it doesn’t matter
foundations up to the age of 14, after which, in the best whether you come from North Africa, Turkey or Germany. And
case scenario, the players go on to the academies. But, as German is spoken on the pitch, integration comes easier to
in my estimation, too many young boys are falling these youngsters, who learn the language more quickly and to
through the cracks, because, when they are 13 or a more competent level.”
14, they have not yet progressed far enough to be
con­sidered for an academy of one of the clubs in You addressed the elite schools of football. What was done
the Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2. Some players so that football also took on a greater significance in primary
don’t yet have the maturity to leave home at schools?
that age. That’s why we must reconsider the “We developed our own programme for primary schools,
DFB-run training centres as a viable option where staff are almost exclusively female and who have rather
for young players aged 14–17, too. To ensure less to do with football. Anyway, currently 20,000 female and
that all ­players are scouted accordingly. This is male teachers have taken part in our programme, leading to
­extremely important.” children playing more football in primary schools.”
12 Guest Contribution Andreas Rettig

“It must be possible to combine a

Bundesliga career with A levels”
As Chairman of the Academies individualisation to education and profes-
Committee, Andreas Rettig has sional training. For the promotion of elite
set out to further improve youth players we must move away from rigid
development in German football. lesson plans; a close interaction between
While content with achievements school and professional football must
to date, he feels there is room take place.
for improvement in relations
between football and the school It is an absolutely fundamental prob-
system. lem that physical education lessons at
school are being reduced more and more

T
By Andreas Rettig and that, as a result, children and young
people are getting less and less exercise.
he biggest mistakes in football The significance of sport in schools has
are often the result of tem­ dramatically decreased whilst the impor-
porary hype. In that respect, we cannot tance of all-day schools is on the increase.
let ourselves be blinded by the recent Thus the question naturally arises, how,
outstanding successes of young players through sport, longer attendance at
in the Bundesliga and the national team. school can be used sensibly and, above all,
We cannot allow complacency to set in. attractively. Because the longer school
The tenth anniversary of the Bundesliga lessons last in the afternoon, the less
academies should, on the contrary, be for time there is to do any sport afterwards.
all of us an occasion to think about how, Hence sports at school could be given a
in the ten years to come, we can still be whole new meaning again.
setting the standard in youth and elite
player development. We must now give this special em­
phasis in our conversations with politi-
Thus it is the task of the Acad- cians. What is also important is that
emies Committee to anticipate a leap physical education is not taught by non-
in time and see what else we can improve specialist teachers. Only with an edu­cated
upon in the coming years. I am optimis- P. E. teacher can the pupils’ enthu­siasm
tic that the quality of our academies will for the lessons taught be guaranteed.
increase further in the future. What is Let’s not forget that German football can
especially important is that the Com- benefit from the Federation of German
mittee and the representatives of the Football Coaches (BDFL), with its fantas-
academies also work together in close tic potential of well-trained coaches, and
collaboration with the German Football could therefore act as a sports service
Association (DFB) regarding youth policy. provider for schools. This is why we must
manage to establish interaction at the
The interaction between education highest political level.
and football is, and will remain, an impor-
tant theme. It must be possible in Ger- At any rate, in Germany we currently
many that a young footballer can pursue a have 1,200 football coaches with a Pro
Bundesliga career whilst at the same time licence, 5,000 coaches with the ‘A’ licence
doing his A levels. Much is quite rightly and 2,500 with the ‘B’ licence. That’s
said about individualisation in training, so, almost a total of 9,000 coaches which
the individual limits of performance must were trained for the highest levels. There
be raised for every young professional. remain many resources, which the DFL
Therefore it is also logical to transfer this and the DFB could offer to schools. It is to
 13

be hoped that politicians also recognise Academies Committee

this potential. But it remains our duty to Members – appointed from the League Association
launch a sports campaign at school level.
Chairman Andreas Rettig General Manager, FC Augsburg

Another important issue is demo- DFL Holger Hieronymus Director

graphic change. The birth rate in Europe Andreas Nagel Head of Match Operations
has been dropping since the mid-1960s.
Club representatives Dr Uwe Harttgen Academy Director, SV Werder Bremen
By 2030, we will have a world population Werner Kern Head of Youth Development, FC Bayern Munich
of around nine billion people, of which five Jürgen Gelsdorf Youth Development Co-ordinator, Bayer 04 Leverkusen
billion will be in Asia. This fact should give
DFB Matthias Sammer Sports Director
pause for thought, given that there are only Ulf Schott Department Head of Talent Promotion
700 million Europeans which represents a Frank Engel Head of Youth Development
mere 10% of total world population.

Against this backdrop, the topic of

migration becomes even more important
in terms of youth development. However,
opportunities equally present them-
selves if we put the potential of older
people to practical use for youth devel- The guardians of the academies
opment. After all, why shouldn’t retired
teachers coach our players? It is the objective of the Academies Committee to improve
the promotion of young talent and make it more efficient.
Energy is another important as- Representatives from the clubs, the DFB and the DFL are working
pect, from floodlights (for training and together on the future of German football.
­matches), water (for showers and pitch
maintenance), fuel (for travelling) to Since the death of Rolf Rüssmann, President of the Academies Committee since
­under-soil heating. Here, we will also have 2002, in October 2009, Andreas Rettig has presided over the panel. The 47-year-
to face the facts and find ways to fund old general manager of FC Augsburg was the ideal choice for the job. After all, at the
­future requirements. beginning of the millennium he had already done the job for two years, not least on
account of the establishment of the Freiburg School of Football, where he was the
And in order to find the correct recognised authority in the field of youth and elite player development.
­answers to all these questions, we should The Committee examines the academies of the clubs and joint stock companies of
think about setting up a nationwide ­centre the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, providing for the constant optimisation of youth
of expertise. From there, experts in education and dealing with the harmonisation with other talent promotion pro-
manage­ment, training, medicine, psychol- grammes of the German Football Association (DFB).
ogy or lawyers and teachers could be at The Committee is made up of highly qualified experts from the world of football.
the disposal of all talents, acting as their Sitting on the Committee board are, from within the ranks of the German Foot-
first point of contact for each relevant ball League (DFL), Director Holger Hieronymus, as well as Andreas Nagel, Head
field. Such a centre of competence could of Match Operations. The Bundesliga clubs are represented by the Head of Youth
offer 36 academy places per year (one ­Development at FC Bayern Munich, Werner Kern and Jürgen Gelsdorf, Youth
place assigned to each professional club) ­Development ­Co-ordinator at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, as well as Dr Uwe Harttgen. The
and also fuel the promotion of high poten- former ­Bundesliga player is currently Academy Director at SV Werder Bremen and
tials in management, such as provided by successfully got a PhD in Philosophy and Psychology.
the football coaching programme of the A leading part of the development of youth work is done by Matthias Sammer,
German Sport University Cologne and Sports Director at the DFB. The former title-winning coach of Borussia Dortmund
that of the football academy Sportschule serves as the connection between the academies of the Bundesliga clubs and the
Hennef. Figures from the football world German junior national teams. Problems concerning the scheduling of international
such as manager Uli Hoeness or coach matches can thus be solved directly. Along with Sammer the DFB is represented by
Ottmar Hitzfeld could also serve as men- Ulf Schott, Department Head of Talent Promotion, and Frank Engel, Head of Youth
tors. This would bring a tremendous boost Development.
and a transfer of know-how. This is some- The objectives of the Committee are extensive. Rettig and his team must plan ahead
thing which also needs to be considered in for the next decade of youth player development. The Committee addresses current
the debate about the future of promoting issues such as saving energy, demographic changes and the constant improvement
young, talented players. of the ties between football and education. 
14 Report The Werkself Academy

The talent pool at

Bayer 04 Leverkusen
The Leverkusen Academy is one of the best in the Bundesliga. Youth Development
Co-ordinator Jürgen Gelsdorf sets great store by providing the players with the best
possible support for both their football career and education.

Other sports besides football: in an Bayer’s U19 player Daniel Jamann

adjacent room there is a table-tennis board. lacing his boots in the changing rooms.
 15

T he sign ‘Elite School of Sport’

hangs to the left of the en-
trance. Underneath is the emblem
‘Olympia­stützpunkt Köln’ and ‘Bayer 04
Leverkusen Fußball’ with the distinctive
club logo. At first glance, the complex
appears to be a well-equipped sports
compound, but one look through the glass
door reveals that this building is the
home of not just any sports
club. It is one of the largest
talent pools in German foot-
ball: the Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Academy.

Behind the entrance is a

weight-lifting room with a fitness
course in the glass part of the
building. Behind this stretches
a compound which would stir the
blood of any lover of football. Four
superbly maintained grass pitches,
one with a stand which turns the
park into a small stadium, lie
next to the big artificial pitch
and football cage. The modern
function room in the house,
planned in great detail and ex-
uding practical effectiveness, is
the sporting home of 160 boys
between the ages of seven and
19. Each of the ten teams from
the U8s up to the U9s enjoys its
own changing room, immediately
adjacent to the physiotherapy
area. There is also a large changing
room for the coaching and support
staff.

The enthusiasm with which this

complex was formally opened at the be-
ginning of 2000 has not disappeared. At
that time the Bayer AG group, Bundesliga
club Bayer 04 and the city of Leverkusen
had made possible the building of the
Kurtekotten Academy on this ideal site.
Lying in the heart of the city, the large
chemical works with the huge cross of
Bayer, and the railway line are located
to the west. The Leverkusen Academy is
2.5 kilometres to the north, and 500 m
further on, where the motorways A1 and
A3 intersect, lies BayArena, the city’s new
landmark since the huge redevelopment.
16 Report The Werkself Academy

Head of the Bayer youth

setup: Jürgen Gelsdorf
has been Director of the
Leverkusen Academy since
the end of 2005.

There, the players educated at the academy take to the field in the U18s/19s (so-called ‘A’ juniors) are put into two age groups.
the Bundesliga and European cup competitions in the club colours Eighty people work at the academy or ‘LZ’ (Leistungszentrum) as
of red and black. In the 2010-11 season these include René Adler, the elite school is readily abbreviated. That means that for every
Gonzalo Castro, Stefan Reinartz, Fabian Giefer, Benedikt Fernan- two boys there is one employee. Good youth work is a staff-in-
dez, Kevin Kampl and seventeen-year-old Danny da Costa. Many tensive issue. Nevertheless it is worth the effort. Five full-time
others play professionally on loan at other clubs in the Bundesliga coaches and eighteen part-timers work with the teams, every one
and the Bundesliga 2. of which has three coaches responsible for it. In addition, there are
four goalkeeping coaches for special training measures, three for
Youth development at Bayer 04 Leverkusen has an excellent co-ordination and rehabilitation training and one for heading and
and seemingly boundless reputation. The U19s have reached the
finals of the German Championship nine times since 1985. Four-
teen of the Leverkusen youth players represented the German na-
tional team at U16 and U18 level during the 2010-11 season. Year
after year tournament invitations from all over the world arrive at
the office. Bayer youth teams have already travelled to Australia,
Belgium, Chile, England, France, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta,
Mexico, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Austria, Peru, Scotland,
Spain, the USA and the United Arab Emirates.

When the establishment of academies for all clubs in the

Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 was made compulsory, those at
Leverkusen were a step ahead in 2001. Bayer 04 had long been
setting the standards in youth policy. Not many people can assess
this better than Jürgen Gelsdorf. The current head of the acad-
emy was appointed youth coach on 1 July 1986, when his career
as Bundesliga professional had come to an end after 416 games
for Bielefeld and Leverkusen. “I was one of three full-time youth
coaches working in the whole of the Bundesliga. Even some of us
at Leverkusen were asking, ‘What’s the point of all this? Is it really
necessary?,’” recalls Gelsdorf. “I didn’t have an assistant coach. To-
day every club has five, six or eight coaches firmly occupied with
the youth setup.” He practised as a youth coach for two years be-
fore switching to the senior setup to become Rinus Michels’ assist-
ant. On 1 October 2005 Gelsdorf returned to take over the running
of the academy.

The ten teams from U8 to U15 are structured as teams from

one age group, while the Under16s/17s (so-called ‘B’ juniors) and
 17

Juggling in front of the

clubhouse: perfect ball control
requires constant practice.

balance training. Four doctors, two physiotherapists and six scouts tially no days off, the organisation runs like clockwork. The younger
also belong to the sporting department. The educational head who, ­players train four times a week, and the older ones five to six. Dur-
like the psychologist, is permanently appointed, is supported by ing training or matches at the weekend the facility resembles a bee-
five employees who generally work as teachers. Added to these are hive. The operation begins at midday, when roughly 25 youngsters
the employees of the office and the canteen. Two gardeners main- have lunch in the restaurant before they do their schoolwork. For
tain the outdoor facilities, four people look after the house and the this there are work and study rooms with internet access on the
laundry. The travel service requires huge personnel  – eight mini­ first floor. The rest of the boys do their schoolwork at home. There
buses which together cover almost a million kilometres in a year. is no residential school at Bayer 04. “We are the model host fam-
The academy is like a medium-sized business. There are essen- ily. We have placed 15 boys privately with families who are closely

Training and leisure pursuit:

the fleet of bicycles of the
Leverkusen youngsters.
18 Report The Werkself Academy

­associated with the club and have been so for a long time,” explains
Gelsdorf. His office is on the upper floor, along with the team and
coach meeting rooms equipped with TV and video, and the offices
of the full-time employees. Downstairs are the large laundry rooms
with their highly modernised washers and tumble driers, where the
‘work clothes’ of every youth player are washed, as well as the kit
storage room holding several sets of shirts for each team.

The groups with the younger players are small. Only twelve
boys make up a team, which still plays on a small pitch. In the vicin-
ity of Leverkusen indoor and outdoor tournaments from age seven
and upwards are observed. “We know every talented player from
when they are juniors,” explains Jürgen Dillenburg, chief scout of
the academy. “We observe about three thousand teams with the
youngest players.” The catchment area for the older players is as far
away as 80km towards Aachen and 40km towards the Bergische
Land, where the influence of such clubs as Schalke 04, Borussia
Dortmund and VfL Bochum is already felt. For years there has been
an agreement with 1. FC Köln and Borussia Mönchen­gladbach that
no youngsters will be poached by one club from another. A scouting
co-ordinator organises the approximately 20 voluntary assistants

The strips of all the

youth teams are
stored in the kit room.
Enormous washing
machines are ready to for the 23 football regions (nine in the Middle Rhine area, eight
clean them. in the Lower Rhine, three for South-Westphalia and three in the
northern Rhineland). 90% of all youngsters at Bayer come from
this catchment area. Should they not be able to come by public
transport or be driven by their parents, they use the travel service
with its exact routes and bus stops. Scouting at national level be-
gins with the U14s and U15s, the favourite “hunting grounds” being
the nationwide tournaments for these age groups traditionally or-
ganised by the DFB. Observing European and/or World Champion-
ship matches widens the international horizon, but signing foreign
youth players remains the exception.

“At intermediate and senior level the establishment looks very

much like a Bundesliga team,” says Gelsdorf. The squads include
roughly 20 players. At around the age of 15 or 16 the decisive
phase in their education begins, which, at Bayer, is broken down
into three steps. Previously, a reliable prognosis of whether or not
a boy could make the leap into professional football was barely
 19

Going the extra mile for the dream making it as a professional: for Daniel Jamann strength training is also part of his daily routine.

possible. Players with an extraordinary talent for movement are hope of forging a professional career. “Do Not Neglect School” is
obviously recognised, according to Gelsdorf. But even a few pro- the law, not just in Leverkusen but at all other clubs’ academies. In
fessionals, who now play in Bayer’s first team, had to overcome the changing rooms, boards display which team has achieved the
problems in their youth: one of them suffered from immense im- best average results in the past six months and the individual rank-
paired coordination after a growth spurt, whilst another’s speed ings of the best schools. “The boys have little free time. In the even­
suddenly decreased. Not everybody progressed as seamlessly as ings they often study for school, and at weekends they usually go
Gonzalo Castro, who was educated for eight years at the academy, to matches with us,” says Gelsdorf.
making his Bundesliga debut aged 17 and playing his first game
with the German A-team, aged 19. “To develop these kids we need Fifteen youths complete a course in office administration or fit-
to get to them early on. If you play against others who are good, ness and sports management at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, or take a job
you improve even more,” says Gelsdorf. When youngsters get older in the field of communications. A friendly, almost warm-hearted at-
­other problems arise. Physically and mentally they display sig- mosphere rules at Bayer 04’s youth setup, but Gelsdorf does not shy
nificant differences. “One boy goes to bed with his teddy bear, the away from being frank. “There is hardly a better model to be found.
­other is already making an appointment with his future mother-in- But one thing should not be forgotten: it is an academy, a ­centre of
law,” explains Gelsdorf. excellence. Only a select few will make it and become professional
players,” explains the Head of Youth Development. “We don’t want
The born-and-bred Duisburger also stresses the heavy bur- to promise too much to anyone, but we do want to give everyone the
dens which young footballers often bring on themselves in the opportunity to prepare himself properly for a good life.” 
20 Guest contribution Dr Uwe Harttgen

“Giving the players

air to breathe”
As a former Bundesliga professional, Dr Uwe Harttgen knows the wishes, worries and fears of players very
well. The sports psychologist and Director of the Bremen Academy writes about the challenges on the pitch
and the high demands on professional support outside the football world.

O
by Dr Uwe Harttgen

ver the last ten years the acad- our ‘junior staff members’ regarding their
emies of the Bundesliga clubs personal career plans. At Werder Bremen

433
have seen a rapid and, above all, success- we co-operate closely with Obervieland,
ful development. The co-operation of the an elite school of football. For us at the
clubs and the support from the German academy, it is very important that the de-
Football Association and the German mands made on young people in education
academy places
Football League have ensured that foot- or employment go hand in hand with those
ball ‘Made in Germany’ is again a mark of professional football. It is necessary to
of quality in 2011. The most recent per- continually provide the ­players with new
formances of the German men’s national incentives, off and on the pitch.
team and the junior teams underline this support. We have hired Ingo Goetze
development. Increasingly, talents such as Consequently, it is the task of the who holds an MA in Teaching and Sports
Mario Götze, Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos Bundesliga academies to ensure that ­Psychology and helps young players
and Florian Trinks are making the leap into young people get the best out of this two- both with their education, both on and
the Bundesliga and are on the radar of top track approach, and graduate success- off pitch. This includes the organisation
international clubs. The general setup may fully. We have observed that success in of after-school clubs and help sessions
vary from club to club, but the overall goals school also results in good performances for homework, or support with tasks
are the same: to promote young talent as on the pitch. This is why we want to offer aimed at developing certain skills. And
much as possible on and off the pitch. the boys the best possible environment in the feedback we are getting from them
Thus training programmes have improved which to grow. is that they positively enjoy these chal-
to a significant degree in recent years and lenges and want to show us that yes, they
social relations with these young people Even if this two-track education can successfully combine their education
have been stepped up on all levels. ­model requires sacrifices from the with football.
­players, who then have only little free
Above all, the interaction between time, school education is, up to a certain A survey, which we carried out
schools and football has been further per- age, more important than football. That’s ­together with the University of Bremen
fected, to meet the high demands made of why we offer our boys the best ­possible and the German Football Association
(DFB) and will develop further, revealed
that the development of one’s personal-
ity takes on a central role in the promo-
tion of talent. Our findings confirm what
we ­experience on a daily basis with the
boys  – a clear improvement in perform-

Success at school stimulates success

on the pitch. Support with homework
is therefore an integral part of talent
promotion.
 21

ance in the players through the intertwin- on young players make an intensive
ing of different social fields at an early debate on the topic of stress manage-

181
stage. If they study different subjects ment ­indispensable. Some players won’t
intensely and their eye is not exclusively be able to attend school due to league
on football, then that is conducive to their matches or trips with the national team,
personal education and performance. which can last several days, weeks or co-operation
even months. How can they best make up initiatives
This is why we try to give the players for missing these lessons? When is there
room to breathe and other opportunities time to study? There is a heavy mental
to use their spare time alongside their burden here, especially if it extends to A
school and football commitments. It’s level ­exams or their senior school years.
very important to us that they can decide And it’s not just demands at school that
freely how they want to spend their lei- increase over time. The boys want to play
sure time. Obviously, it hasn’t escaped our all the time, whether it be in the U17s, the
attention that many young players enjoy U19s or even the national team, depend-
computer games. As long as this doesn’t ing on their age of course. They often
get out of hand, it’s entirely acceptable. want to test themselves to their limits,
But it’s important for them to also have a and it is our duty to protect them from
social life outside of football. overdoing things.

However, their development on the Parents also play an important role.

pitch is an equally large proportion of For as long as the players are under the
their personal development. Football age of 18, it is absolutely necessary to
presents every situation which could closely involve the parents in the ongoing
arise in ‘normal’ life. You can take on dif- processes at school, in their children’s so-
ferent roles, cover different positions, cial environment and their football. Only
prove you have qualities of leadership through intensive co-operation from an
and defend against opposition. These early stage will these tasks, burdens and
aspects can be communicated in training hindrances be mastered.
and in competition. Through this, weak-
nesses can be identified and strengths
brought out.

Furthermore, group dynamic pro­

cesses help us to identify why a player,
for example, contributes more or less on
the pitch, and to what extent he has ma-
tured. Only if you know how to correctly
assess a youngster individually and in a
team can you commence with the next
steps of teaching. If I don’t know this, I risk
steering his development in the wrong
direction. Constructive communication
with young people, therefore, plays an
absolutely central role. Nowadays play-
ers no longer want to come in for training
and just be put through their paces. On
the contrary, they want to be involved and
included. They want to feel included in the
whole learning process and need to know
what objective needs to be achieved in
any given training session.

The development of youth foot-

ball, as well as the diverse demands
22 Investment Professional club facilities

Construction boom
benefits German football
Almost every club in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 has built new academies or modernised and expanded existing
ones over the last ten years. The result has been high-class sporting performance across the German professional game.

I n 2000 Borussia Dortmund possessed no proper training facil-

ities. The field of Rabenloh, a stone’s throw from the stadium,
served as a makeshift training ground, which simply did not meet
the requirements. In spite of this BVB were Bundesliga cham­pions
in 2001-02, but, crucially, there was still no suitable pitch for the
youth team. This necessitated an urgent call to action. All the more
important then that the League Association decided in 2001 on
the compulsory establishment of academies for every profes-
sional club.

At the Stuttgart
Today, ten years later, Borussia Dortmund is the owner of a
Academy young
players can even glorious academy in the district of Brackel. The facility is about to
play on the roof. undergo a new extension in spring 2011. On Adi-Preissler-Allee in
 23

Feld facility. Since the move to the Nordpark stadium, Borussia

Mönchengladbach has enjoyed a much more spacious environ-
ment than the club ever had in the old Bökelberg arena. Whether
you’re at SV Werder Bremen’s Weserstadion, VfB Stuttgart’s
Cannstatter Wasen, 1. FC Nürnberg, Hannover 96, VfL Wolfsburg,
SC Freiburg or 1. FSV Mainz 05, or at any other club in the Bundes-
liga or Bundesliga 2, time did not stand still. Builders, architects,
craftsmen and gardeners all made their arrival. The following
structural conditions of the academies are laid down in the licens-
ing guidelines of the German Football League (DFL): one training
compound with changing rooms and three grass pitches, as well
as artificial pitches for any Bundesliga club. Two must be lit with
floodlights; Bundesliga 2 clubs must provide two pitches, at least
one with floodlights. In both categories a technical course must be
set up and indoor training made possible in winter. The dimensions
of the facility are not specified in detail, but there must be room
for medical and physiotherapy applications adjacent to the chang-
ing rooms of the teams and coaches. Treatment rooms, massage
rooms, saunas and relaxation baths are compulsory.

As far as the number of pitches is concerned, many clubs have

exceeded requirements by far. Nine pitches including one regula-
tion-size and two smaller ones with artificial turf currently make up
the academy at Dortmund following the second rebuilding of the
facility, which was opened in 2006 on the site of a former British
army barracks. “We believe we have one of the most modern train-
Borussia Dortmund has built a highly modern
academy in the district of Brackel.
ing facilities in the Bundesliga,“ says Director of Football Michael
Zorc. A second highly functional building will be opened at the end
of the 2010-11 season. While the Westphalia club has broken new
ground, Eintracht Frankfurt consolidated its roots with the opening
of the neat 7,700 square metre academy at Riederwald in October
the vicinity of the Royal St Barbara Golf Club, the first team trains 2010, a fine piece of architecture thanks to which the Riederwald
under the direction of Jürgen Klopp. So do the youth teams, who, complex has regained its status as the heart of the club. “Now we
especially in the higher age brackets, belong to the best in Germa- have bridged the gap to every Bundesliga club,” says Axel Hellmann,
ny, and who have found their ideal home in the northeast of the city. executive committee member of Eintracht. “The new complex at
Riederwald is a building block for success in professional football.”
The 36 academies run by the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 Twelve large changing rooms, a modern weights room, a sauna and
clubs currently accommodate 5,445 young people, ensuring they a restaurant round off the feel-good factor. Three and a half foot-
benefit from top training conditions and get a decent education. ball pitches are at the youth teams’ disposal. That is still not quite
Whilst the new stadiums for the 2006 World Cup were in the spot- enough, as those in charge quite readily acknowledge. Six pitches,
light, another construction boom went largely unnoticed. says Axel Hellmann, is the eventual target Frankfurt is aiming to
achieve. It is not just at Eintracht that the construction boom is
High-quality sporting facilities were developed or greatly ex- working for the benefit of German football.
panded. As a rule, these facilities are geared towards the practi-
cal and efficient, not the extravagant. The everyday life of a club
revolves around these facilities, and more often than not that of
Getting down to business every afternoon during
the professional teams as well. the workouts at Schalke 04’s training grounds.

1899 Hoffenheim has created a much-admired ‘El Dorado’

for its training of footballers; FC Bayern Munich extended its fa-
cilities on Säbener Strasse, just as Hamburger SV did in Ochsen­
zoll. Hertha BSC modernised its training compound, which forms
part of the Olympic stadium complex. Bayer Leverkusen opened
the Kurtekotten facility. 1. FC Köln upgraded the pitches and
the Geissbockheim; Schalke 04 did the same with the Berger
24 An insight The Eintracht Frankfurt Academy

The home of
Eintracht’s
youth team
At the end of 2010 Eintracht Frankfurt opened its coveted academy at
Riederwald. Just as with the academies of other professional clubs, the
functionality and elegance of the large buildings of the Eintracht complex and
training sites dominate over 7,700 square metres of space.

1 4
33

10
 25

11
1 Only the main pitch still conveys a
reminder of the previous make-up of
Riederwald, which was once the home of
Ein­tracht’s professionals. In the ­2010-11
season the U19 and U17 Bundesliga
teams play their matches here, as do the
C-juniors with their regional games. 2 The
Wolfgang-Steubing sports hall, (named
after a long-serving patron of the club),
was erected for the youth teams, but
also for the basketball, hockey, handball,
athletics and volleyball branches of the
club. 60 metres long, the facility already
12
proved a success in the first winter follow-
ing its opening: full training sessions were
held indoors in the coldest months of the
year. 3 and 4 There are 700 square me-
tres of administrative offices with 30 of-
fices for 40 em­ployees, and a residential
building with ten apartments for young,
talented footballers –  whose families do
not live in the region  – furnished with a
common room and a kitchen. 5 The dis-
tances between the players’ living quar-
ters and the offices of the coaches and
support staff are short. In addition to en-
couraging a better ­performance, the club
concerns itself with education, social is-
7 sues and catering. 6 The academy’s mod-
ern artifi­cial pitch was officially opened
on 1 November 2010. 7 Second training
field, primarily for the hockey teams but
also used by the young footballers. 8 Two
small pitches, one surrounded by a board,
the other with a wall for practicing shots,
including four heading exercises and
moveable goals, allow for further train-
ing variations. 9   55  square metres of
Eintracht fan shop. 10 Ten changing rooms
are available, four of which are assigned
to the U23s, U19s, U17s and U15s, and
8 the rest is flexibly divided depending on
training schedules. 11 ‘Diva’, the age-old
nickname for the club, is also the name of
the club’s catering hall: a meeting point for
athletes and visitors, as well as parents
whose children are at practice. The acad-
emy residents have their lunch here. 12 A
state-of-the-art facility (as is the entire
academy), the two-level gym has every-
thing from weights to cardio machines.
26 Certification Analysis of the Academies

Quality control
for the academies
Since 2007 the academies have undergone a
process of certification. Everything is assessed:
from the facilities as such to the success of the
youth teams. Whoever performs well is awarded
special bonuses by UEFA.

Fully committed: ex-professional Norbert Elgert

coaches the U19s team of Schalke 04.
 27

W
Effectiveness and Permeability

hen the Double PASS team

8
comes to visit the clubs of
Infrastructure and Strategy and
the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, there is 7
Facilities 1 Finances
a kind of positive nervousness in the air.
The employees of the Belgian company
put the academies of the clubs firmly un-
der the microscope: everything from the
software to the hardware the clubs use Communication Organisation
and Co-operation 6 Academy 2 and Procedure
is scrutinized. They evaluate the clubs’
playing fields, buildings and facilities;
they check the members of staff; they
focus on work philosophy, on principles
Football Education
and concepts of the education of young
Personnel 5 3 and Evaluation
players and measure the results against
these standards. They examine their
4
organisation, human resource manage-
ment and their processes, and thus es- Support and Training
sentially assess the overall performance
of the academies with regard to their The certification process appraises the clubs’ academies according to eight categories.
­effectiveness.

The procedure is called ‘certifica-

tion’, a term which has taken on a great “With the certification of the acad- Section 3, Paragraph 2, and in Annex 5
significance since Double PASS arrived emies we have taken another step for- defines in detail the duty of setting up
in the German football community. In ward and are providing sustainability in and running an academy. As is the case at
many areas of economy and science work with young talent. This is vital,” says schools or universities, the same general
certification is a procedure by way of Holger Hieronymus, Chief Operating Of- setup does not necessarily mean that the
which it is ensured that certain require- ficer at DFL in charge of the academies. same results will be achieved. The qual-
ments are complied with. However, ob- “With this process the examinations, ity assurance initiated by Double PASS
servation of the academies has shown which we have carried out every year with its project ‘Foot PASS Ger­many’ has
that four years after the introduction of since introducing the academies to the li- ­triggered a further rise in quality.
certification they have blossomed not censing system, took on a greater depth
unlike healthy, fruit-bearing trees, which of detail and intensity,” says ­Andreas During his visits to the academies,
when carefully grafted, become even Nagel, Head of Match Operations at Rolf Rüssman, Chairman of the Acad-
more valuable. Certification essentially DFL. The fundamental requirements emies Committee from 2002 until his
refined the talent pools and gave them to be fulfilled by the clubs are set forth death in October 2009, realized that the
even more intrinsic value. in the licensing guidelines of the DFL. appraisal of the academies was a com-
plex thing. “He was the one who recog-
nised the need to introduce an ordered
system of evaluation. He was the pio-
neer,” stresses Hieronymus. Around four
Andreas Nagel,
as Head of Match years ago co-operation began with the
Operations at team from Double PASS, led by its Bel-
DFL, supervises gian Chief Executive Hugo Schoukens,
certification.
whose business idea fitted in perfectly
with the DFL philosophy. The enterprise
was developed at the Free University
of Brussels in 2004 and specialised in
the management of quality in sport. But,
to the experts, it is not just about the
mapping and measuring of criteria of
quality. “We are measuring to see what
28 Certification Analysis of the Academies

can be improved,” is one of the mottos Twelve clubs (seven from the Bundesliga
of the employees at Double Pass, who and five from the Bundesliga 2) made it
also provide information and consulting into the top category with three stars.
services. Eight clubs received two stars, five clubs
received one. That the criteria applied
At that time, clubs busied them- was very exacting is reflected in the fact
selves intensely with the issue of how that 14 academies were awarded no
the academies were to be optimised. stars whatsoever.
Overall they were aware that increasing
attention had to be paid to medical care Certification was up for round two in
and other areas not relating to the sport 2010. 23 clubs took part, the majority of
as such. Moreover, it became clear that them eager to improve on their first re-
investments in the academies could not sult, having given considerable thought to
continue to increase at a steady rate. So the question of how best to achieve that.
the concept was adapted to the require- In May 2011, the DFL and DFB will publish
ments of the clubs in co-operation with a ‘Best -Practice Handbook’ to help the
Double PASS. This meant that clear ver- academies improve their rating. Although
dicts of assessment emerged for the ex- the system was not conceived to set of
aminers. And based on the transparent any process of competition between
criteria applied, the clubs knew exactly clubs, it nevertheless seems to have
where they stood. ­driven the academies to ever improve
their performance. The DFL uses the re-
Thirty-nine clubs and joint stock sults from certification to allocate funds
companies took part in the first round from UEFA’s Champions League Solidarity
of certification from 2007 until 2009. Fund (€7.5 million in 2009-10) earmarked
Along with the clubs of the Bundesliga to benefit the youth work of clubs not par-
and Bundesliga 2, a few clubs from the ticipating in the Champions League. A club
Christian Gentner won the 2003 German regional and fourth division also vol- can make over €300,000 per season on
U19 Championship with Stuttgart. untarily took part in the examination. the back of a good academy.

Qualification of the 433 youth coaches in the academies

Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 in the 2010-11 season

Required state Actual state

Pro licence 54 No licence 30 Pro licence 61

C licence 50
A licence 36

Total Total
306 433

B licence 96

A licence 196

B licence 216
 Interview Holger Hieronymus 29

Looking forward
to positive results
through certification –
DFL Director
Holger Hieronymus. of credit that the quality of the acad-
emies has continually improved. Under
his guidance the idea of certification
was pitched to the clubs and discussed
internally. We worked together on Dou-
ble Pass’s tool. Some criteria were mod-
ified or dropped, others we added. The
Belgians’ idea was finally adapted to
reflect our requirements and sugges-
tions. Double Pass named our certifica-
tion ‘Foot Pass’.”

The underlying idea of this kind of

certification is basically quality control.
Have the clubs’ attempts to come to
terms with the topic of improving their
processes increased noticeably since its
introduction?
“Views are exchanged to a much
higher degree since the introduction

“A recipe
of certification. Notes are being com-
pared more closely. Previously, the only
relevant criterion was how many young

for success”
players made the leap from the acade-
my to the first team. Today there are far
more criteria against which the work of
the academies can be measured.”
Since the 2007-08 season the academies of the Bundesliga and
Bundesliga 2 clubs have been certified by the DFL in collaboration with Did the certification system with its
Double PASS. DFL Director Holger Hieronymus explains the advantages categories of one star, two stars and a
of this system. maximum of three stars increase compe­
tition amongst clubs?

T
“We never intended to increase
competition between clubs. It was the
he certification of the acad­ duction of certification? express wish of the clubs and joint
emies has taken on a huge “Our colleagues from the German stock companies not to encourage any
­significance. How was it developed? Football Association (DFB) approached kind of ‘top of the charts’ scenario of
Holger Hieronymus: “It was a us with an idea from Double PASS. The the 36  academies. Something which
process. At the beginning, when setting Belgian firm had developed a project totally tallies with our ideas. Every club
up an academy was made compulsory which made possible the objective as- knows only its own result. However, we
for the clubs and joint stock companies sessment of the work of the academies. do register that results are exchanged,
of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga  2, Since it was specifically concerned leading to a certain amount of ambition
­parameters as to infrastructure and with the youth side of the professional at individual academies. During the cur-
staffing were stipulated. When I arrived clubs, it came under the jurisdiction of rent round of certification, we noticed
at the German Football League in 2005, the DFL. We have since adopted Double a heightened interest as to the results.
the time had come following this initial Pass’s model.” Many academies want to improve in the
stage to start thinking about options for next certification round. The fact that the
improvement. So we sat down with the Was there a driving force who ar­ results of an academy are transparent
directors of the academies, and by the gued for the introduction of certification and easily understandable also means
end of 2006 there was a general consen- through Double Pass? that the work they do is better appraised.
sus that certification was an idea worth “One of the pioneers was of course Those in charge can be measured by their
pursuing.” Rolf Rüssmann who, as Chairman of the results. Certification has increased the
Academies Committee until his sudden value of the academies enormously, and
Who gave the impetus for the intro­ death in October 2009, deserves a lot is a recipe for success for all involved.”
30 Study Integration at the Academies

A shining example of
successful integration
Young people from more than 80 countries play together in the academies. And integration just happens on
its own, because, to the up-and-coming young players, the ability of their teammates to play good football is
more important than their background or social status.
 31

I n a recent study, scientists from the

European Business School’s Faculties
of Economics and Law (EBS) analysed the
academies of the professional clubs. Their
Educational qualifications Types of school
attended by players from the academies (%)
Study: ‘Integration through professional football’ (EBS, Faculties of Economics and Law)

findings? The academies are a ­model of

successful integration. “The Bundes­liga 54
with its academies is a very good and, still 50
unnoticed, model of successful integra-
41
tion,” says Professor Schmidt, in charge 40
36
of the study. “Youngsters from different 33 34
nationalities are thrown together in the 30 29
academies by a mutual passion and a
20
strong will to perform well, off the pitch 20
15
as well.” 13 12
10 9

Integration is lived in the academies 4

of the 36 professional clubs. The at- 0
Secondary Comprehensive Junior High Grammar
titudes of the youngsters promoted School School School School
here are more open and tolerant, and
pre­judices against foreigners are less Germans Germans with a migration background Foreigners
prevalent here than in the rest of the
population. Foreign youngsters looked
after here hail from around 50 countries.
Add to that those with an immigrant back-
ground and you get roughly 80 countries
that are represented here. The young
players also strive to get better qualifica-
tions. The picture of footballers occasion- The results of the study have sharp-
ally painted in the media of their primary ened the perception of the academies as
interest lying in their sport, hardly applies vehicles for integration and raised aware-
to the academies. More than 50% of the ness of the fact that the extraordinary
German youngsters and 36% of the for- emotional power of football is utilised
eigners looked after in the academies to its full for an open society with more
attend a grammar school, compared to equal opportunities. The young football- Professor Dr
the national average of just 47% of Ger- ers in the academies are more success- Schmidt led the
study.
mans and 25% of young foreigners. As ful in getting to know their German peers
well as encouraging sport, a strong em- than the reference group of the whole
phasis is placed on pedagogical support population. They are well integrated, with
in the academies. 1,500 players from the a European and international outlook.
academies were part of the survey, their Also noteworthy is that identification (at
average age 16 years. As a basis for com- over 70%) with German culture was also
parison, 2,000 representatively selected much more pronounced than in the con-
German citizens were surveyed in May trol group.
2010. “I was amazed that integration pro-
ceeded so automatically and practically For young foreigners and those with
unnoticed,” explains Dr Schmidt. “We then a migration background, football skills
realised that success comes as the result are more important than someone’s ori-
of not shouting it from the rooftops, as gins, club affiliation or social status. Pro-
it were.” Not much is actually said about fessor Schmidt: “The conclusion can be
integration. It requires no elaborate con- drawn that professional football helps to
cepts. The clubs and their employees overcome boundaries often set by one’s
take a very practical approach to their ethnic background, and at the very least
­responsibilities. allows these to be blurred.”
32 Guest contribution Thomas Tuchel

Joy at shared success:

Thomas Tuchel with Adam
Szalai, a graduate of the
VfB Stuttgart Academy.
 33

“Every Player
needs individual
attention”
In 2009 Thomas Tuchel was promoted from coach of the U19s to head coach at
1. FSV Mainz 05. Here he explains why close contact between the professional department
of the club and the academy is enormously important for the promotion of young talents.

A
By Thomas Tuchel

t Mainz 05 the youth and first team setup is very After having worked at the academy for a year myself, and
­closely linked and clearly structured. When we estab- knowing that the mutual bond of trust between myself and the
lished the first team a year ago, we decided on a maximum of two academy directors Volker Kersting and Stephan Hoffmann is
21  or 22 players in the squad. There are 18 ‘seasoned’ profes- extremely strong, I of course know every procedure inside out and
sionals and three or four places are kept free for the most prom- know how much support is required from the professional side of
ising young players. A rotation of players occupying these places the club. Close, regular and trusting contact is an essential mark
can take place every year or every other year. In the 2010-11 of quality for an effective collaboration of the youth and profes-
season they are occupied by Petar Sliskovic, Eugen Gopko and sional areas. At Mainz this isn’t just done on paper, it’s a firm belief
Jan Kirchhoff. On account of his development Kirchhoff will be lived and proudly promoted by the club’s directors. Cooperation
placed with the 18 regulars in the 2011-12 season, and another between the senior squad and the academy isn’t left to chance or
such place will be given, for example, to Yunus Malli, who joined people’s good intentions – there are clear standards of communi-
us from Mönchengladbach. cation, with regular meetings taking place between the coaches
and responsible administrators on both sides
In keeping the squad small, we want to ensure that we give
every professional the necessary appreciation. But, above all, An important instrument of this close co-operation is the ‘elite’
our academy must be able to fulfil its own mission. It’s not about training, which my assistant coach and I conduct once a month for
­being given a certificate with three stars, it’s about educating the the best players from the U15s to the U18s. The U19 age group
­players for our own first team. In any case, it is an important signal constantly has the opportunity of practicing with the U23s or even
to young players: we have three or four guaranteed places in the the senior squad. This ‘elite’ training means a lot to the younger
first team squad, so snap them up! players by way of being recognized, they see their participation as
a reward. We coach these players, giving them specific tips and sug-
From an outsider’s point of view the decision to limit the gestions, thus enabling them to lose their inhibitions about working
number of places in the squad to 21 may seem brave. But among with the first team coaches. It’s the best way for us to get to know
the coaching team we have always found that, every weekend, talented youngsters by name. There are roughly around 16 to 20
only 18 players come into contention for the team sheet, and players and participation is rotated every month by the academy
barely ever more than that. That’s why we remain consistent directors, although approximately 80% of the group stays the
and have set a crop of 18 players we want to have in the first same. We first team coaches also make a point of watching the
team squad. The club saves on costs and youngsters get the home games of the U19 and U17 teams as often as possible.
best ­possible starting point from which to launch their careers.
In my view, it’s important that every player knows and feels he Since the era of Wolfgang Frank und Jürgen Klopp Mainz lives
has a real chance of playing. That goes for the young players in a certain football ethos, which is an immense help in our work. It
particular. allows us to make the most of our opportunities. In encompasses
34 Guest contribution Thomas Tuchel

Communication with young players, as here with Lewis Holtby, is a secret of success for Thomas Tuchel.

Current first team coaches and managers many of the club’s training principles, and is lived right down to the

who previously worked at an Academy different ages in the youth setup. The playing philosophy is mal-
leable and can, to a certain extent be adapted to suit the current
Coaches
situation, but neither I nor any of the other coaches can turn things
Thomas Tuchel 1. FSV Mainz 05 upside down here. The very first focus of our playing philosophy
Andre Schubert SC Paderborn 07
Marco Kurz 1. FC Kaiserslautern
involves tenacious work against the ball. Defence training is ball-
Michael Büskens SpVgg Greuther Fürth oriented, and involves a lot of running, and requires the right dose
Frank Schäfer 1. FC Köln of aggression. It’s a very energetic style, with the focus on acting,
Rico Schmitt FC Erzgebirge Aue
not reacting, even if the opposition is in possession. Mainz 05 basi-
Norbert Meier Fortuna Düsseldorf
Peter Hyballa Alemannia Aachen cally favours a fundamentally British style of play: quickfire, fast-
Theo Schneider SC Rot-Weiß Oberhausen moving, aggressive and strong in the challenge. We have enriched
Marco Pezzaiuoli 1899 Hoffenheim
these features with a strong emphasis on a flat passing game, so
essentially a departure from using a lot of long-balls, with a con-
Managers/Sporting Directors stant attacking mentality. The aim is to get into the opponent’s
Helmut Schulte FC St. Pauli danger zone fast, with precise through-passes played at a very
Ernst Tanner 1899 Hoffenheim high tempo.
Uwe Stöver FSV Frankfurt 1899
Andre Schubert SC Paderborn 07
Max Eberl Borussia Mönchengladbach Training routines are geared towards this philosophy in our
Andreas Rettig FC Augsburg youth teams as well. Young players in the first team already know
 35

“Our academy should fulfil

its very own mission: to
train talented youngsters
for our own first team.”

what to do and don’t go around worrying what the coaches might who train with us or with other squads, whilst trying to do their
want from them. If we want to give our Mainz style an individual A levels at our partner school are often at their very limits. A
flair, they take up this challenge with a positive attitude. It is fun- post was created at the academy to help the players of all teams
damentally important to us that training routines based on our better managing their burdens. More often than not the scope
football philosophy are transported to ALL the teams and not just and intensity of training will be reduced rather than increased.
used in the youth teams so that training isn’t just a kind of occupa- An important aspect of this is to ensure that players retain the
tional therapy. It is our responsibility to ensure that every player joy and desire to play. We aim at ensuring that those who have
receives individual attention from the coach. It doesn’t matter if been on the pitch several times a week from age ten still feel the
you’re 18 or 34. It is key to the development of players of all ages same fire burning in them when they are eighteen, despite the
that they receive individual attention from the coach. The needs pressures of practicing and coping with school. This is why the
and motives of each player should be dealt with accordingly. It burden sometimes has to be reduced. Our aim is to bring young
goes without saying that 18 or 19-year-olds should also receive players into the first team squad as early as possible. Even if
the necessary care and attention, whilst at the same time putting Mainz 05 had more financial muscle at its disposal, I wouldn’t
just enough pressure on them as an incentive to enhance their per- want to increase the size of the squad. I believe this is a reflex
formance. And again it is individual attention which plays a central among coaches nowadays. You want to hedge your risks by sign-
role here. ing another seasoned professional. I wouldn’t want to increase
the number of the squad, but there are still better players to be
Supporting the players also means you have to be capable had. Funds could be invested not to broaden the base, but to im-
of recognizing their limitations. Junior national team players prove at the top.
36 Statistics Ten years of Academies

Facts and figures

Proportion of German players in the professional game

since the Bosman ruling

90
83

80 82 77
81 75
75 70 71
70
70 68 67 67
72 65 64 64 64 64
63 62 63
62 61 61
61
60 63
63 58 57 57 56
60 59
59 59
59 58
56 57
50 55 54 54
53 53
50 51 51 51

40
1995/1996

1996/1997

1997/1998

1998/1999

1999/2000

2000/2001

2001/2002

2002/2003

2003/2004

2004/2005

2005/2006

2006/2007

2007/2008

2008/2009

2009/2010

2010/2011
Total Bundesliga Bundesliga 2

National players from the academies

in comparison with the chosen squad for international matches (as at March 2011)
27
26
26
24 24 24
24
22 22 22 22
21
20 21
20
18 19 18 19

16 17
16
14

National
U15 U16 U17 U18 U19 U20 U21 A-team

National players from an academy Squad size for the last international match
 37

Fountain of youth In the last tens years the academies have en-
sured that a growing number of young players flooded into the
Bundesliga. Coaches believe in these technically and tactically
perfectly trained young talents. The average age of all players
deployed in the Bundesliga has decreased by 1.32 years since the
2001-02 season. Alongside this the percentage of German play-
ers in the professional game has climbed. Since the vast majority
of players at academies are from Germany, the choice of talented
young German players has grown correspondingly. In 2002-03, a
mere 50% of all Bundesliga players were German. This figure now
stands at 57% and even at 71% in the Bundesliga 2. Just how good
the education provided by the academies is, can be seen when you
take a look at the German FA’s squad of the national teams. From
the under-age youth teams right through to the senior squad, the
overwhelming majority of players are (or have been) trained at an
academy.

Average age of Bundesliga players since 2001/2002

in years

28

27.09 27.12
27
26.65
26.55 26.53
26.24 26.23
26.12
26 25.77
25.73

25

2001/2002 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011
38 Statistics Ten years of Academies

Number of teams and players in 2010/2011

Bundesliga Bundesliga 2 Licensed football

2010-2011 Teams Players 2010-2011 Teams Players 2010-2011 Teams Players

U23s 18 362 U23s 17 348 U23s 35 710

U19s/18s 20 427 U19s/18s 19 416 U19s/18s 39 843
U17s 18 366 U17s 17 355 U17s 35 721
U16s 16 320 U16s 17 325 U16s 33 645
U15s 18 353 U15s 17 334 U15s 35 687
U14s 18 341 U14s 17 317 U14s 35 658
U13s 18 329 U13s 17 284 U13s 35 613
U12s 18 290 U12s 17 278 U12s 35 568

Total 144 2,788 Total 138 2,657 Total 282 5,445

Fully occupied Currently there are 282

youth teams in the academies of the pro-
fessional cubs, in which 5,445 young tal-
ents are trained. Young boys from the age
of eleven to 22 are educated at the acad-
emies. Every club from the Bundesliga
and Bundesliga 2 has to field a team from
the U12s to the U23s. In the younger age
groups up to the U15s these teams may
only be formed by using players all born
in the same year. In the U19s and U17s
youth teams, it is possible to combine
players from two years. Currently there
are only 17 academies listed for the Bun-
desliga 2 as the youth academy of one of
the clubs is still being set up.
 39

Home-grown players Roughly 20% of

players in German professional foot-

‘Local players’ ball represent the club where they were

­educated in the Bundesliga or Bundes­
in licensed football liga  2. They are the so-called ‘local
Professionals who play at clubs where they were educated ­players.’ Three years ago this figure stood
at only 15%. Now clubs set about pick-
ing more players from their own youth
1,001
1000 ­system. The proportion of these players
is ­slightly higher in the Bundesliga than in
800 the ­Bundesliga 2.

600
525
476
400
19.4 %
200 194 20.4 % 18.3 %
107 87

Total Bundesliga Bundesliga 2

Total number of licensed players Players educated at clubs

‘Local players’ in proportion to

the total number of professional players
since the introduction of the local players’ rule in the 2007/2008 season

1,011 1,007 1,001

1000 982

800

600

400
20 % 19.4 %
15 % 17 %
204 194
200 144 170

2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011

Total number of licensed players Players educated at clubs

40 Statistics Ten years of Academies

Qualifications of coaches at the academies of the Bundesliga

Full- Part- Pro A licence B licence C licence No Total

time time licence clubs

Academy Sporting Director 26 0 15 8 0 1 2 18

Coach, U23s 27 3 15 13 1 1 0 18
Coach, U18s/19s 20 10 15 12 1 2 0 18
Coach, U16s/17s 22 21 10 26 5 2 0 18
Development coach, U14s/15s 18 29 3 22 14 4 4 18
Development coach, U12s/13s 3 39 0 20 17 5 0 18
Academy goalkeeping coach 19 23 3 12 6 14 7 18

Total 135 125 61 113 44 29 13 18

Qualifications of coaches at the academies of the Bundesliga 2

Full- Part- Pro A licence B licence C licence No Total

time time licence clubs*

Academy Sporting Director 26 1 12 9 1 2 3 17

Coach, U23s 15 7 10 8 2 1 1 17
Coach, U18s/19s 14 10 1 19 3 1 0 17
Coach, U16s/17s 5 38 0 25 14 1 3 17
Development coach, U14s/15s 7 37 2 24 13 3 2 17
Development coach, U12s/13s 3 34 2 9 16 8 2 17
Academy goalkeeping coach 7 22 0 6 4 8 11 17

Total 77 149 27 100 53 24 22 17

*17 clubs, since the youth academy of one of the clubs is still being set up.

Qualifications of coaches at the academies of the licensed football clubs

Effective from: 2010/2011 season

Full- Part- Pro A licence B licence C licence No Total

time time licence clubs*

Academy Sporting Director 52 1 27 17 1 3 5 35

Coach, U23s 42 10 25 21 3 2 1 35
Coach, U18s/19s 34 20 16 31 4 3 0 35
Coach, U16s/17s 27 59 10 51 19 3 3 35
Development coach, U14s/15s 25 66 5 46 27 7 6 35
Development coach, U12s/13s 6 73 2 29 33 13 2 35
Academy goalkeeping coach 26 45 3 18 22 22 18 35

Total 212 274 88 213 97 53 35 35

*35 clubs, since the youth academy of one of the clubs is still being set up.
 41

Academy Directors in the clubs of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2

Bundesliga Bundesliga 2

SV Werder Bremen Dr Uwe Harttgen Alemannia Aachen Eric van der Luer
Borussia Dortmund Peter Wazinski FC Erzgebirge Aue Thomas Matheja
Eintracht Frankfurt Armin Kraaz FC Augsburg Florian Rensch
SC Freiburg Jochen Saier Hertha BSC Berlin Frank Vogel
Hamburger SV Paul Meier 1. FC Union Berlin Hermann Andreev
Hannover 96 Jens Rehhagel DSC Arminia Bielefeld Thomas Krücken
1899 Hoffenheim Bernhard Peters VfL Bochum 1848 Jürgen Heipertz
1. FC Kaiserslautern Frank Lelle FC Energie Cottbus Steffen Ziffert
1. FC Köln Christoph Henkel MSV Duisburg Uwe Schubert
Bayer 04 Leverkusen Jürgen Gelsdorf Fortuna Düsseldorf Markus Hirte
1. FSV Mainz 05 Volker Kersting FSV Frankfurt 1899 Uwe Stöver
Borussia Mönchengladbach Roland Virkus SpVgg Greuther Fürth Günter Gerling
FC Bayern Munich Werner Kern FC Ingolstadt 04 Ronnie Becht
1. FC Nürnberg Rainer Zietsch Karlsruher SC Edmund Becker
FC St. Pauli Joachim Philipkowski TSV 1860 München Jürgen Jung
FC Schalke 04 Uwe Scherr SC Rot-Weiß Oberhausen Kai Timm
VfB Stuttgart Thomas Albeck VfL Osnabrück Heiko Flottmann
VfL Wolfsburg Jens Todt SC Paderborn 07 Jan-Moritz Lichte

The best education Currently 433 coaches work at the acad-

emies of the clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, looking
after 5,445 young talents in 282 youth teams. 160 coaches are
employed full-time at the club, and 273 work on a fee basis. In
addition there are a total of 53 sporting directors at the acade-
mies. Clubs pay very close attention to the qualifications of their
youth coaches. At present, there are currently 61 coaches with
Pro  ­licence working at the academies, and a further 196 have the
A licence. Thus the academies exceed the number of top coaches
as stipulated in the licensing regulations by 177 (54 Pro coaches
and 36 A licence coaches). There are many ex-pros among the
academy directors, of whom many are also former national team
players and Bundesliga coaches.
42 Statistics Ten years of Academies

Young talent Currently there are SV Werder Bremen FC Schalke 04

275 layers in the squads of the 18 clubs
of the Bundesliga who were all trained
Onur Ayik SV Werder Bremen II Alexander Baumjohann FC Schalke 04 U19
at an academy. This means that 52.4% Philipp Bargfrede SV Werder Bremen II Julian Draxler FC Schalke 04 U19
of 525  players come from an academy. Tim Borowski SV Werder Bremen II Tim Hoogland FC Schalke 04 U19
107 players also play for the club where Aaron Hunt SV Werder Bremen U19 Benedikt Höwedes FC Schalke 04 U19
Sebastian Mielitz SV Werder Bremen II Levan Kenia FC Schalke 04 U19
they were educated. All 275 players and Kevin Schindler SV Werder Bremen II Joel Matip FC Schalke 04 U19
the clubs from which they originated at Dominik Schmidt SV Werder Bremen II Christoph Metzelder FC Schalke 04 U17
a glance: Pascal Testroet SV Werder Bremen II Manuel Neuer FC Schalke 04 U19
Lennart Thy SV Werder Bremen II Christian Pander FC Schalke 04 II
Florian Trinks SV Werder Bremen II Mathias Schober FC Schalke 04 U19
Felix Wiedwald SV Werder Bremen II Lars Unnerstall FC Schalke 04 II
Sebastian Boenisch FC Schalke 04 U19 Carlos Zambrano FC Schalke 04 U19 (zzt. FC St. Pauli)
FC Bayern Munich
Torsten Frings Alemannia Aachen U19 Christoph Moritz Alemannia Aachen U19
José-Alex Ikeng VfB Stuttgart II Lukas Schmitz VfL Bochum II
Marko Marin Borussia Mönchengladbach II Albert Streit Eintracht Frankfurt U19
Holger Badstuber FC Bayern Munich II Per Mertesacker Hannover 96 U19
Diego Contento FC Bayern Munich II Predrag Stevanovic FC Schalke 04 U19
Thomas Kraft FC Bayern Munich II Christian Vander Borussia Mönchengladbach U19 1899 Hoffenheim
Philipp Lahm FC Bayern Munich II Sandro Wagner FC Bayern Munich II
Thomas Müller FC Bayern Munich II Tim Wiese Bayer 04 Leverkusen II
Andreas Ottl FC Bayern Munich II Kevin Conrad 1899 Hoffenheim U19
Bastian Schweinsteiger FC Bayern Munich U19 Pascal Groß 1899 Hoffenheim U19
Mario Gomez VfB Stuttgart II VfB Stuttgart Mauel Gulde 1899 Hoffenheim U19
Andreas Görlitz TSV 1860 München II Marco Terrazzino 1899 Hoffenheim U19
Miroslav Klose 1. FC Kaiserslautern II Boris Vukcevic 1899 Hoffenheim II
Toni Kroos FC Hansa Rostock U19 David Alaba FC Bayern Munich II
Ermin Bicakcic VfB Stuttgart II
Daniel Didavi VfB Stuttgart II Andreas Beck VfB Stuttgart II
Patrick Funk VfB Stuttgart II Marvin Comper Borussia Mönchengladbach II
VFl Wolfsburg Christian Gentner VfB Stuttgart II Jenas Grahl SpVgg Greuther Fürth II
Raphael Holzhauser VfB Stuttgart II Daniel Haas Eintracht Frankfurt U19
Julian Schieber VfB Stuttgart II (zzt. 1. FC Nürnberg) Matthias Jaissle VfB Stuttgart U19
Tolga Cigerci VfL Wolfsburg U19 Alexander Stolz VfB Stuttgart II Sebastian Rudy VfB Stuttgart II
Michael Schulze VfL Wolfsburg II Serdar Tasci VfB Stuttgart II Sejad Salihovic Hertha BSC Berlin II
Ashkan Dejagah Hertha BSC Berlin II Christian Träsch VfB Stuttgart II Josip Simunic Hamburger SV II
Patrick Helmes 1. FC Köln U17 Sven Ulreich VfB Stuttgart II Tom Starke Bayer 04 Leverkusen U19
Fabian Johnson TSV 1860 München II Marc Ziegler VfB Stuttgart U19 Tobias Weis VfB Stuttgart II
Alexander Madlung Hertha BSC Berlin II Cacau 1. FC Nürnberg II
Sascha Riether SC Freiburg U19 Stefano Celozzi FC Bayern Munich II
Marcel Schäfer TSV 1860 München II Timo Gebhart TSV 1860 München II Borussia Dortmund
Martin Harnik SV Werder Bremen II
Roberto Hilbert SpVgg Greuther Fürth U19
Georg Niedermeier FC Bayern Munich II Johannes Focher Borussia Dortmund II
Eintracht Frankfurt Matthias Schwarz FC Bayern Munich II Daniel Ginczek Borussia Dortmund II
Mario Götze Borussia Dortmund U19
Kevin Großkreutz Borussia Dortmund Jugend
Sebastian Jung Eintracht Frankfurt II Bayer 04 Leverkusen Marc Hornschuh Borussia Dortmund II
Sonny Kittel Eintracht Frankfurt II Uwe Hünemeier Borussia Dortmund II
Aykut Özer Eintracht Frankfurt U19 Florian Kringe Borussia Dortmund II
Christoph Preuß Eintracht Frankfurt U19 René Adler Bayer 04 Leverkusen II Yasin Öztekin Borussia Dortmund II
Andreas Rössl Eintracht Frankfurt II Gonzalo Castro Bayer 04 Leverkusen U19 Nuri Sahin Borussia Dortmund U17
Marco Russ Eintracht Frankfurt U19 Benedikt Fernandez Bayer 04 Leverkusen II Marcel Schmelzer Borussia Dortmund II
Faton Toski Eintracht Frankfurt U19 Fabian Giefer Bayer 04 Leverkusen II Lasse Sobiech Borussia Dortmund II
Ioannis Amanatidis VfB Stuttgart II Kevin Kampl Bayer 04 Leverkusen II Marco Stiepermann Borussia Dortmund U19
Zlatan Bajramovic FC St. Pauli U19 Stefan Reinartz Bayer 04 Leverkusen II Sven Bender TSV 1860 München U19
Ralf Fährmann FC Schalke 04 U19 Lars Bender TSV 1860 München U19 Markus Feulner FC Bayern Munich II
Marcel Heller Alemannia Aachen II Manuel Friedrich 1. FSV Mainz 05 U19 Mats Hummels FC Bayern Munich II
Benjamin Köhler Hertha BSC Berlin II Stefan Kießling 1. FC Nürnberg U19 Antonio Da Silva Eintracht Frankfurt II
Alexander Meier Hamburger SV U19 Simon Rolfes SV Werder Bremen II Neven Subotic 1. FSV Mainz 05 II
Patrick Ochs FC Bayern Munich II Sidney Sam Hamburger SV II Nelson Valdez SV Werder Bremen II
Markus Steinhöfer FC Bayern Munich II Daniel Schwaab SC Freiburg II Roman Weidenfeller 1. FC Kaiserslautern II
 43

1. FC Kaiserslautern Hannover 96 1. FSV Mainz 05

Marco Knaller 1. FC Kaiserslautern II Christopher Avevor Hannover 96 U19 Eugen Gopko 1. FSV Mainz 05 U19
Tobias Sippel 1. FC Kaiserslautern II Felix Burmeister Hannover 96 II Jan Kirchhoff 1. FSV Mainz 05 U19
Alan Stulin 1. FC Kaiserslautern II Sofien Chahed Hannover 96 II André Schürrle 1. FSV Mainz 05 U19
Kevin Trapp 1. FC Kaiserslautern II Willi Evseev Hannover 96 U19 Petar Siliskovic 1. FSV Mainz 05 II
Steven Zellner 1. FC Kaiserslautern II Tim Hofmann Hannover 96 II Niko Bungert FC Schalke 04 U19
Mathias Abel Borussia Dortmund II Morten Jensen Hannover 96 II Marco Caligiuri VfB Stuttgart II
Alexander Bugera FC Bayern Munich U19 Konstantin Rausch Hannover 96 U19 Malik Fathi Hertha BSC Berlin II
Thanos Petsos Bayer 04 Leverkusen U19 Sofian Chahed Hertha BSC Berlin II Florian Heller FC Bayern Munich II
Stiven Rivic FC Schalke 04 II Florian Fromlowitz 1. FC Kaiserslautern II Lewis Holtby Alemannia Aachen U19
Bastian Schulz Hannover 96 II Markus Miller VfB Stuttgart II Heinz Müller FSV Frankfurt 1899 U19
Pierre de Wit Bayer 04 Leverkusen U19 Sergio Pinto FC Schalke 04 II Nikolce Noveski FC Hansa Rostock II
Christian Schulz SV Werder Bremen II Eugen Polanski Borussia Mönchengladbach II
Ron-Robert Zieler 1. FC Köln U17 Marcel Risse Bayer 04 Leverkusen U19
1. FC Köln Adam Szalai VfB Stuttgart II
Christian Wetklo FC Schalke 04 U19

Bienvenue Bazala-Mazana 1. FC Köln U19 Borussia

Adil Chihi 1. FC Köln U19 Mönchengladbach SC Freiburg
Christian Clemens 1. FC Köln II
Thomas Kessler 1. FC Köln II (zzt. FC St. Pauli)
Adam Matuszyk 1. FC Köln II Oliver Baumann SC Freiburg U19
Fabian Bäcker Borussia Mönchengladbach U19
Lukas Nottbeck 1. FC Köln II Scipon Bektasi SC Freiburg II
Christian Dorda Borussia Mönchengladbach II
Lukas Podolski 1. FC Köln U19 Daniel Caligiuri SC Freiburg II
Patrick Herrmann Borussia Mönchengladbach U19
Stephan Salger 1. FC Köln U19 Johannes Flum SC Freiburg U19
Bernhard Janeczek Borussia Mönchengladbach U19
Reinhold Yabo 1. FC Köln U19 Nicolas Höfler SC Freiburg II
Tony Jantschke Borussia Mönchengladbach U19
Taner Yalcin 1. FC Köln U19 Jonathan Schmid SC Freiburg II
Tobias Levels Borussia Mönchengladbach II
Alexander Vaaßen 1. FC Köln II Daniel Williams SC Freiburg II
Marc-A. ter Stegen Borussia Mönchengladbach U19
Christopher Buchtmann Hannover 96 Jugend Felix Bastians Borussia Dortmund U17
Michael Fink VfB Stuttgart II
Christian Eichner Karlsruher SC II Heiko Butscher VfB Stuttgart II
Mike Hanke FC Schalke 04 U19
Sebastian Freis Karlsruher SC II Cédric Makiadi VfL Wolfsburg II
Christofer Heimeroth FC Schalke 04 U19
Michael Rensing FC Bayern Munich U19 Stefan Reisinger SpVgg Greuther Fürth II
Karim Matmour SC Freiburg II
Christopher Schorch Hertha BSC Berlin II Jan Rosenthal Hannover 96 II
Thorben Marx Hertha BSC Berlin II
Roman Neustädter 1. FSV Mainz 05 II Julian Schuster VfB Stuttgart II
Marco Reus Borussia Dortmund U17 Ömer Toprak SC Freiburg U19
Hamburger SV
Jens Wissing FC Schalke 04 U17

FC St. Pauli
Maximilian Beistner Hamburger SV U19
Collin Benjamin Hamburger SV II 1. FC Nürnberg
Muhamed Besic Hamburger SV U19 Fabian Boll FC St. Pauli II
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting Hamburger SV II Dennis Daube FC St. Pauli U19
Heung-Min Son Hamburger SV U19 Jan-Philipp Kalla FC St. Pauli II
Miroslav Stepanek Hamburger SV U19 Daniel Batz 1. FC Nürnberg II
Timothy Chandler 1. FC Nürnberg II Gerald Asamoah Hannover 96 U19
Tunay Torun Hamburger SV II Marcel Eger 1. FC Nürnberg II
Dennis Aogo SC Freiburg U19 Dominic Maroh 1. FC Nürnberg II
Markus Mendler 1. FC Nürnberg U19 Rouwen Hennings Hamburger SV II
Dennis Diekmeier SV Werder Bremen II Max Kruse SV Werder Bremen II
Paolo Guerrero FC Bayern Munich II Marvin Plattenhardt 1. FC Nürnberg II
Alexander Stephan 1. FC Nürnberg II Florian Lechner VfB Stuttgart II
Marcell Jansen Borussia Mönchengladbach II Matthias Lehmann VfB Stuttgart II
David Jarolim FC Bayern Munich II Andreas Wolf 1. FC Nürnberg II
Philipp Wollscheid 1. FC Nürnberg II Fabio Morena VfB Stuttgart II
Tom Mickel FC Energie Cottbus II Deniz Naki Bayer 04 Leverkusen II
Frank Rost SV Werder Bremen II Pascal Bieler Hertha BSC Berlin II
Christian Eigler SpVgg Greuther Fürth U19 Bastian Oczipka Bayer 04 Leverkusen U19
Lennard Sowah FC St. Pauli U17 Benedikt Pliquett Hamburger SV II
Robert Tesche DSC Arminia Bielefeld II Mehmet Ekici FC Bayern Munich II
Ilkay Gündogan VfL Bochum 1848 U19 Timo Schultz SV Werder Bremen U19
Piotr Trochowski FC Bayern Munich II Richard Sukuta-Pasu Bayer 04 Leverkusen II
Heiko Westermann SpVgg Greuther Fürth U19 Jens Hegeler Bayer 04 Leverkusen II
Juri Judt SpVgg Greuther Fürth U19 Charles Takyi Hamburger SV II
Daniel Klewer FC Hansa Rostock U19 Moritz Volz FC Schalke 04 U19
Timo Ochs Hannover 96 II
Christoph Sauter 1. FSV Mainz 05 U19
Raphael Schäfer Hannover 96 U19
 DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH
Guiollettstraße 44–46
60325 Frankfurt/Main
Germany
Tel. +49 69 65005-0
Fax +49 69 65005-557
E-mail [email protected]
www.bundesliga.de Publisher

Tom Bender editor-in-chief

Christian Pfennig Project manager

Tobias Schild editor and

coordinator

Christina Dimitriou, Jana Gembrys, Kay-Oliver Langendorff, suPPort team

Dr Dirk Meyer-Bosse, Andreas Nagel, Malte Schulz

Dr Harro Schweizer final editor

DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH, Speedpool GmbH, Photo editors

Witters Sport-Presse-Fotos GmbH

DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH, Getty Images Deutschland GmbH, images
Witters Sport-Presse-Fotos GmbH, Andreas Rettig

Speedpool GmbH design and laYout

Hansmann Verlag Sponholtz Druck GmbH Printers

As at 25 March 2011
DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH
Guiollettstraße 44–46
60325 Frankfurt/Main
Germany

Tel. +49 69 65005-0

Fax +49 69 65005-557
E-mail [email protected]

www.bundesliga.de