I played football for my whole life, but after 20 years I got a career-ending injury. I damaged one of the muscles in my eye and as a result, the overcompensation required by my brain to process visual cues (especially at the high pace and many changes of direction in football) means that after playing a match, I am mentally and physically exhausted for days. This was difficult as I love football very much, but it made the choice of pursuing a role in coaching all the more obvious. I have now been a coach for 9 years, and a senior coach for 4 years, and for the next few months, I am assisting as team manager from an operations perspective for the HBUFC Elite Men’s team.
There were a few reasons behind why I wanted to come to Cape Town, and in particular, Hout Bay. I have lived in Berlin for my whole life, so just the opportunity of living abroad for six months was something that interested me. On top of that, one of my best friends (Jörn Diekman) volunteered with HBUFC a few years ago, and he recommended that I speak to the club to see if there was any possibility that I could do an internship. My goal from the start was that I was coming to Cape Town to work. I wanted an opportunity to improve myself as a coach and as a person, and most of all, I wanted to be in an environment where I would be able to learn. Thankfully, my journey with HBUFC has so far enabled all of this. I am definitely in the right place.
My first week was one of the most intense of my entire coaching career. Not because I had to do too much work or anything like that, but because of the amount of information I was taking in from everyone involved with the Elite Men’s team and the professionalism with which its program and schedule is run. I really did not expect the team and organisation to be run the way that it is – there are so many people involved each with their own unique tasks and special skills. At the beginning I was not sure I would be trusted with any real responsibility, but I am grateful that the coaches and management have given me this opportunity to help them, and improve myself.
I currently have a UEFA B coaching licence and I plan on getting the A, however it is very expensive so I would need to find a club that would be happy to invest in me in order to finance it. At the same time, I really believe that there are so many other (and probably more important) aspects of coaching than just the licences, and a big area I want to try and improve on while I am here is my communication skills, especially with the players. In my opinion, coaching is not just about what happens on the field, in a way it is more like teaching and can sometimes even reflect a kind of mentoring/parenting role. It is so important that players feel comfortable around you, yet motivated to impress you, and finding this balance is key. The way coach Michael (Loftman) can remain completely authentic to himself, yet change how he speaks to every player and person in the organisation based on what form of communication they respond to best, is something I have never seen before. I know I can learn a lot from him, especially those sorts of interpersonal skills that don’t get taught while doing the licences.
Another skill I am learning, which I believe will make me a better coach back home, is the ability and importance of delegating tasks. I often struggle with this as I believe if I don’t do something, that it won’t be done to the standards that I expect, but seeing the way that the staff operate around the Elite Men’s team, I have realised how vital it is to have a team around you who you can trust and give responsibility to. There are so many people involved with the Elite Men’s team, each with very focused tasks and responsibilities, and this really frees the coaches up to focus on what is important – the team and the football. I think this even ties into why I have been given the opportunity at HBUFC. Essentially, what my role means is that Michael (Loftman) and the other coaches do not need to worry about anything operational and can focus instead on the team and the football. When I get back to Berlin, I think I need to find someone who can do for me what I have been trying to do for Michael.
I have been coaching for a while already but really I am just getting started. My advice for anyone wanting to begin would be to really try and get out of your comfort zone. Try new things and if you fail, try again. The modern way of football is to be adaptable, and that applies to the way coaches can pursue their careers too. Start small, take baby steps and enjoy the journey – it can be very, very fun and you can meet and work with some incredible people along the way.
While I am still going to be working for HBUFC until February next year, one of my big goals for the future is to win a few promotions with my team back in Berlin and help the club get to the next level. After that, I would love to find a role at a professional club where I could work as an assistant coach for the senior team while being the head coach of a youth team. In this way, I would be able to participate in the competitive environment of professional football, while also being able to focus on developing the next generation of young players.
