FC Schönau starts the new season with experience and a breath of fresh air!

FC Schönau starts the new season with experience and a breath of fresh air!

FC Schönau is entering the new season of the district football league with a clear strategy and a breath of fresh air. The club is optimistic and relies on continuity by building on associative structures and proven forces. Coach Manfred Knobel, who previously led the second team, remains under contract and was entrusted with the entire team after it reached eighth place with 40 points last season. According to suedkurier.de there are no departures, which underlines the harmony and positive team spirit, as chairwoman Jasmin Markanic emphasized.

A significant development that FC Schönau is also planning is the promotion of young talent. The club was able to sign four new players, including two from their own offspring: Silas Ruch and Nico Steinebrunner. Both will initially gain experience in the “second team” in the district league B before being integrated into the main team. The return of Bruno Hasanaj, 18, from SV Schopfheim should liven up the attacking game. Petro Dvoretskyi, who previously played for FV Lörrach-Brombach in the association league, also enriches the team. The sporting management around sports director Stefan Nopper sees young players as a key resource to make the club future-proof.

Changes in management

A challenging season that took place after the death of Christian Lais in February 2023 saw a change of coach. Manfred Knobel took over the management of the first team as the previous coaches, Ismail Demirci and Burak Asik, were fired. FC Schönau decided to take this step after the team was in 13th place, a possible relegation spot. Under the new leadership of Knobel, who took office with immediate effect, the club is now focusing on improving sporting development and staying in the league. Knobel will have to prove himself as a coach in the next game, a catch-up game against FC Wittlingen, and the club management plans to employ him in the coming season as well.

In all of these developments, Jasmin Markanic's statement should be emphasized: "The decision to separate Demirci and Asik was difficult, but it was necessary." Both coaches have worked during a difficult time and the club would like to express its thanks for their achievements.

With a firm philosophy of focusing on its own youth, FC Schönau would like to continue on this path. A clear indicator of change within the team is the return to one's own roots. These young, motivated players from the region are all the more important, as they now have the chance to prove themselves at a higher level.