Full-time job as a trainer

“I won’t be doing this for another five years”

Coach fox: Kuchl's Tom Hofer (left).(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

Kuchl coach Thomas Hofer no longer plans to retire.Golling coach Schöberl resigned unexpectedly on Sunday.Overall, there are concerns about the training of young talent.

The Salzburg league is actually more of a competitive sport than a popular sport. The coaching job there? Even the average coach shows what it's all about: on average, a coach there is 41 years old, has twelve years of coaching experience, an A license and has played in the regional league himself. A glance at the table shows this: Routine wins the day. "Yes, if the squad and the team structure are right," says Bürmoos manager Daniel Buhacek, one of the youngest - he is only 27. "The necessary luck is also part of it." Hallein's Christoph Lessacher (34), 2022 champion with Golling, replies: "I was able to make up for it a bit by foxing around with tactics."

The flip side of the coin: "Many people underestimate that it's almost a full-time job these days," says Kuchl zampano Tom Hofer, one of the most experienced players. "Analysis, constant discussions with everyone, then coordinating the pitch and training - that didn't exist in the past." His conclusion: "It's almost impossible to reconcile it with family life. When are you supposed to go on vacation with children? In the past, there was no artificial turf, in winter there really was a break of one or two months." The 54-year-old is certain: "I won't be doing this myself for another five or ten years. At some point you're just flat."

Golling's coach Patrick Schöberl felt the same way: "It was nice, but now I'm just empty. The decision was brutally difficult for me." Now the head coach wants to switch off and enjoy the extra time with his family.

Ex-Golling coach Patrick Schöberl(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

Fun dribbling 
Thalgau's Tomislav Jonjic emphasizes: "It's about having fun, but that often falls by the wayside when training passing and pressing machines. Training for every children's coach is more important." But only half of them have it.