Arminia Bielefeld, who have been relegated to the second division, will start the coming third division season with Mitch Kniat on the sidelines. Kniat recently coached future league rivals SC Verl.
Kniat signed a contract in Bielefeld until June 30, 2025, as the Bielefeld announced on Tuesday. Last season, the 37-year-old led SC Verl to tenth place in the table. Assistant coach Daniel Jara will also move from Verl to Bielefeld with him.
“We are very pleased that we have won Mitch Kniat for Arminia Bielefeld and our chosen path of realignment,” said Arminia’s new sporting director Michael Mutzel. “He has exactly the qualities and enthusiasm that are important for the profile of the new Arminia head coach: a clear game idea with lots of ball possession, high pressing and an offensive orientation, absolute enthusiasm for working with young players and bringing in talent the offspring and a deep knowledge of the 3rd division.”
Kniat follows Uwe Koschinat
Kniat began his coaching career at Blumenthaler SV in Bremen before moving to SC Paderborn in 2017, where he coached the second team until 2022. He has been a coach on the sidelines at SC Verl since February last year.
Kniat succeeds Uwe Koschinat, whose contract was not renewed after relegation. Koschinat took over as coach of the Bielefeld team on March 9, but was only able to lead the team to 16th place in the 2nd division. In the two relegation games, Arminia lost to third-division SV Wehen Wiesbaden (0:4/1:2). In the event of remaining in the second division, Koschinat’s contract would have been extended, according to the club.
After Uli Forte, Daniel Scherning and Koschinat and Kniat, the fourth Arminia coach within a year.
