Freiburg (dpa) – The former Bundesliga coach Volker Finke has called for better pay for the youth coaches of professional football clubs in the interests of more successful youth work.
“I don’t think it’s right that some Bundesliga clubs employ 400-euro workers in their youth academies who work for a pittance,” said the 74-year-old at the International Coaches’ Congress of the Association of German Football Instructors (BDFL) at the Freiburg Trade Fair.
In front of around 900 coaches, the former coach of SC Freiburg and his assistant coach at the time, Achim Sarstedt, spoke about the search for and promotion of top talent – and criticized the too early selection of young players. In addition to physique, other selection criteria such as technical skills also have to be taken into account. As examples he named the German national player Nico Schlotterbeck, who had been sorted out in the U15 at the Stuttgarter Kickers, and Robin Gosens, who also took a “second educational path”.