Julian Schuster to take over as SC Freiburg head coach

Julian Schuster arrived at SCF in the 2008/09 season as a player and made 242 competitive appearances for the club over the next ten years. He was named as club captain during the winter break of the 2011/12 season and led the line for SC up until his retirement in 2018. Schuster was appointed as coordinator of talent management at the club in July 2018 and worked with the Freiburg Football School, U23 and the senior squad in order to integrate youth talent into the first team. Schuster was also active as an assistant coach at this time. This year, Schuster acquired his UEFA Pro License, the highest coaching badge in German football.

Patrik Grolimund will join the coaching staff as Schuster’s assistant coach. The 43-year-old served as the assistant coach of the Germany women’s national team, before becoming the coordinator of the UEFA Pro License programme. Grolimund had already worked with SC before the start of the 2021/22 season.

“Being head coach of SC Freiburg means the world to me but it’s also going to be a challenge. I’m confident that I’ll be able to undertake this task successfully and have full faith in my ability. That being said, I’m going to stay humble and treat the position with respect,” remarked Julian Schuster. “SC Freiburg stands out because of the camaraderie, passion, and the connection to the city and the wider region at the club. I’m really looking forward to carrying these values forwards with the team, coaching staff and fans. I want to thank the board for showing faith in me, but also Christian Streich and his team, who’ve always been by my side up to this point, for fostering such a productive and close working relationship.”

Chief sporting officer Joachim Saier was pleased with Schuster’s appointment: “Over the past few weeks, we’ve assessed a number of internal and external candidates to find a successor for Christian Streich. At the end of this process, we were extremely confident that we were making the right choice in opting for Julian Schuster. He ticks a lot of important boxes for us – he has a wealth of expertise, a great personality and a strong connection to the club. He’s served as an assistant coach and the coordinator of talent management at the club over the past six years and has done a lot of fantastic work with our young talent. He’s familiar with all the ins and outs of the SC Freiburg. After Christian announced that he would be leaving SC at the end of the season, we’re convinced that we’ve found the best solution by appointing Julian Schuster as his successor. With him, we’ll be able to continue going down the path we’ve been on with new impetus and energy.”

Both parties have agreed not to disclose the finer details of the agreement. Schuster will be officially unveiled as the club’s next head coach before the next home match.