Revolution in youth football: Hannes Wolf brings a breath of fresh air to Bad Hersfeld!

Revolution in youth football: Hannes Wolf brings a breath of fresh air to Bad Hersfeld!

In Bad Hersfeld, the football community had reason to be happy: Hannes Wolf, the DFB youth director, presented his innovative project “Training Philosophy Germany”. The event took place in the Audimax Obersberg and in the “An der Oberau” stadium and attracted around 200 children and youth coaches as well as officials who were eagerly awaiting the new concepts. Wolf, known for his coaching positions at Borussia Dortmund, VfB Stuttgart, Hamburger SV and Bayer Leverkusen, explained the goals of the project to those present.

The central concern of the training philosophy is the creation of learning moments and a high net playing time for the young footballers. “We have to put the fun of the game back in the foreground,” emphasizes Wolf. In his example training, the Fulda U12 regional team competed against each other in small groups after a 15-minute warm-up. The focus was on effective forms of play that contribute to the holistic development of the players. State-of-the-art training methods such as the use of shot clocks, wall players and sufficient spare balls promoted the flow of training and the joy of playing.

Positive feedback and new approaches

The feedback from participants was consistently positive. Many reported novel methods that they would like to incorporate into their own training. Wolf emphasized the importance of praise and presence in training, as this plays a crucial role in motivating the young kickers. The idea that heading the ball should only be learned from the D-youth level also caused discussions.

Another important point was the training of technical skills such as passing, dribbling and shooting, which were carried out in intermediate blocks. This practical approach is intended to ensure that children enjoy playing and that development is encouraged.

Wolf and his team call for integrating football philosophies into schools to increase engagement in the sport. Dirk Wahl, the chairman of FSG Bebra, also expressed his confidence about the training and the practical DFB concepts, which represent real added value for the coaches and their protégés.

Decline in junior teams as a challenge

The comprehensive concept comes at a critical time, as alarm bells are currently ringing at the DFB: between 2009 and 2019, the number of youth teams fell by 18% and the number of young members fell by 9%. Responsible for this are social changes that promote less stamina, as well as the multitude of leisure activities that push football into the background.

In particular, many trainers discovered that the focus is often too much on short-term success. This way of thinking not only harms children's enjoyment of play, but also reduces the development of individual creativity. This is where Wolf's approach comes in: designing the game formats and training methods in such a way that the young players are supported in the best possible way.

Overall, Hannes Wolf and his team present a future-oriented concept. Based on successful coaches and players such as Joshua Kimmich and football legends, the fun and passion for the beautiful sport should come to the fore again. The project is not only a response to the current challenges, but also a groundbreaking step into the future of German football. wolf speaks of further encouragement to have all youth teams train at least twice a week using the newly developed methods, aiming for a high net playing time of at least 48 minutes per week for U16 players.

It remains to be seen how the new ideas will be implemented in everyday football, but the training in Bad Hersfeld is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. The fun of football and the joy of the game are clearly at the heart of the DFB training philosophy, which operates according to the motto: “Give the children back the joy of sport”. HNA reports that Wolf encourages the coaches to get actively involved and try out the new concepts in order to optimally prepare the next generation of talent for their footballing future.