Martin Stranzl left Borussia Mönchengladbach last summer after having played 258 Bundesliga matches for the club. He is continuing his career but this time he has taken up a coaching position at FC Büderlich, the club his son plays for. He recently attended training course in Mönchengladbach to obtain his coaching license. On Monday, coaches gathered at an information evening to obtain important tips and about coaching in football.
The former Austrian international spoke to DFB.de about his first impressions of coaching, the reasons why he is excited to work with youth players and how his own professional football career started.
DFB.de: You attended the information evening in Mönchengladbach on Monday and spoke to other new coaches. Why have you decided to pursue this?
Martin Stranzl: Everything started at FC Büderlich. I started out there to see if coaching was something I really wanted to do. Then I decided to stay because it was so much fun and I applied for my coaching license.
DFB.de: What did you think of the information evening?
Stranzl: There were a lot of interesting coaches there. You could tell that they are all so interested in what they do. I think we all learnt a lot during the evening that we can teach to our teams.
DFB.de: How did you find the training course in Mönchengladbach?
Stranzl: It was a lot of fun. I got to see an insight into how Germany’s youth development system works. I could apply my own experiences as a professional footballer to many things that we learnt and I hope that helped the other people attending the course. Overall there was always a very nice atmosphere.
DFB.de: So what excites you about pursuing a coaching career?
Stranzl: A lot of things. We must think a lot about what happens in training. We have a lot of conversations afterwards with the boys, asking them how their football is going and how they are getting on in school. By doing so, we can often find out quickly if we need to change something in training to suit the boys better so that they can enjoy it more. Sometimes training can be so intense for those who are struggling in school. The most interesting aspect for me is how to make training fun. We have to respond to how the boys react. It’s also great to see how quickly our youth players are developing.
DFB.de: What experiences from your own career help you when coaching young talents?
Stranzl: For me it’s important that the boys always give 100 percent. You will achieve your goals if you play with passion and always try your best. It’s also important to treat each other with respect.
DFB.de: You played for your hometown team SV Güssing in Austria until the age of sixteen. Has a lot changed regarding coaching between now and then?
Stranzl: Young players train more often nowadays and there are more coaches available. Everything is more organised. Training focuses a lot more on tactical approaches. We also work a lot on fitness when the boys are around 15 or 16 which is a really important factor.
DFB.de: So what are you doing to do next?
Stranzl: I’m going to do two things: complete my training and carry on coaching the E-team at FC Büderlich as well as working as a football agent. It will be fun to work with younger players on the pitch but at the same time I can also help current players. Eventually I will decide what I want to focus on in the future.
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Martin Stranzl left Borussia Mönchengladbach last summer after having played 258 Bundesliga matches for the club. He is continuing his career but this time he has taken up a coaching position at FC Büderlich, the club his son plays for. He recently attended training course in Mönchengladbach to obtain his coaching license. On Monday, coaches gathered at an information evening to obtain important tips and about coaching in football.
The former Austrian international spoke to DFB.de about his first impressions of coaching, the reasons why he is excited to work with youth players and how his own professional football career started.
DFB.de: You attended the information evening in Mönchengladbach on Monday and spoke to other new coaches. Why have you decided to pursue this?
Martin Stranzl: Everything started at FC Büderlich. I started out there to see if coaching was something I really wanted to do. Then I decided to stay because it was so much fun and I applied for my coaching license.
DFB.de: What did you think of the information evening?
Stranzl: There were a lot of interesting coaches there. You could tell that they are all so interested in what they do. I think we all learnt a lot during the evening that we can teach to our teams.
DFB.de: How did you find the training course in Mönchengladbach?
Stranzl: It was a lot of fun. I got to see an insight into how Germany’s youth development system works. I could apply my own experiences as a professional footballer to many things that we learnt and I hope that helped the other people attending the course. Overall there was always a very nice atmosphere.
DFB.de: So what excites you about pursuing a coaching career?
Stranzl: A lot of things. We must think a lot about what happens in training. We have a lot of conversations afterwards with the boys, asking them how their football is going and how they are getting on in school. By doing so, we can often find out quickly if we need to change something in training to suit the boys better so that they can enjoy it more. Sometimes training can be so intense for those who are struggling in school. The most interesting aspect for me is how to make training fun. We have to respond to how the boys react. It’s also great to see how quickly our youth players are developing.
DFB.de: What experiences from your own career help you when coaching young talents?
Stranzl: For me it’s important that the boys always give 100 percent. You will achieve your goals if you play with passion and always try your best. It’s also important to treat each other with respect.
DFB.de: You played for your hometown team SV Güssing in Austria until the age of sixteen. Has a lot changed regarding coaching between now and then?
Stranzl: Young players train more often nowadays and there are more coaches available. Everything is more organised. Training focuses a lot more on tactical approaches. We also work a lot on fitness when the boys are around 15 or 16 which is a really important factor.
DFB.de: So what are you doing to do next?
Stranzl: I’m going to do two things: complete my training and carry on coaching the E-team at FC Büderlich as well as working as a football agent. It will be fun to work with younger players on the pitch but at the same time I can also help current players. Eventually I will decide what I want to focus on in the future.
