AUDIO: Marcel Rapp new head coach at FC St. Pauli (1 min)
2nd Bundesliga
As of: June 5, 2026 3:02 p.m
One day after parting ways with Alexander Blessin, FC St. Pauli has hired a new coach: Marcel Rapp will be in charge of the Hamburg second division soccer team with immediate effect. The 47-year-old was most recently the coach of Holstein Kiel.
With the decision in favor of Rapp, FC St. Pauli has now created facts on the coaching question almost three weeks after relegation from the Bundesliga and a long hanging game over Blessin’s future.
“We are pleased that in Marcel Rapp we have gained a coach who has experience in German professional football and has already proven that he can both shape teams and develop players. For the Second Bundesliga we will have to adjust our direction a bit again,” said St. Paulis sports director Andreas Bornemann on Friday.
Rapp emphasized: “There is a very exciting task ahead at FC St. Pauli and I am keen to start preparing for the new season straight away. The club is ambitious and has continuously developed over the past few years. Now I would like to actively shape the next steps at Kollaustraße and in Millerntor.”
Promotion with Holstein Kiel two years ago
Rapp was a trainer at Holstein Kiel from October 2021 to February of this year. In 2024 he achieved the first Bundesliga promotion in the club’s history with KSV Holstein – second in the table behind FC St. Pauli.
However, the Kiel team were relegated straight away and then did not play the expected role in league two. After a defeat in Karlsruhe, Rapp was placed on leave after matchday 23 and was succeeded by Tim Walter.