SoccerPro Interview with Andre Gumprecht

So Andre, how are you finding your new coaching clinic SoccerPro?

As a head coach I'm obviously proud and happy to get my own coaching academy up and running. I'm very happy about the first numbers that have come along, we have 60 kids now and they are enjoying themselves week after week and as a head coach I'm very happy about that.

What are the most challenging and interesting parts about training these kids?

When kids are coming along and they are all individuals and you have to deal with different personalities in different ways. This is definately a challenge and to bring along skills to these kids is what I am aiming for, so this is probably the most challenging thing.

How is it different with these kids and the preparation they have to play senior football, as apposed to how you grew up playing in Germany?

Obviously I was very lucky to be involved in a very professional program back in Germany, but what I am trying to create with my academy is to actually running it along side similar exercises I did as a junior. There is certainly a difference between the countries because here football is just about to start. I think we are heading in the right direction and we will have a very successful future.

Do you think that football in Australia would be of a higher standard if facilities were further developed and there were more incentives for football players?

Of course, in anything you do if you are providing better facilities and better programs then you are getting a better outcome. This is what we are trying to do with SoccerPro. To provide kids with a program at a high level and hopefully we will see a couple of these boys on the park playing for the Mariners one day.

Obviously the A-League is a major step in cementing the future of football in Australia , but do you think that it won't be sustained due to the volume of players, and the appeal of, playing over-seas?

It has shown already that a lot of players that are playing over-seas have big intentions of coming back. You have to consider earning a lot more money back over-seas but also you have higher expenses to pay and you are coming to a stage were you have to consider coming back to Australia and playing for the new upcoming a-league with it's success in the first year and actually trying to get yourself a name back here and try and get a start back overseas. But for younger players it is very good thing to aim for, get yourself in the right shape and then step up to the a-league and get a name for yourself and obviously it has shown that good players are getting spells with good European clubs. The best example in our club with the Mariners is Dean Heffernan and Michael Beauchamp they had a very successful season and hopefully get picked up by a big club in Germany which they have trialled with and they have a big challenge ahead of them to perform in the Bundesliga if they get that chance.

What was it like playing a major German club like Bayer Leverkusen at such a young age?

It's a different mentality when you're starting and growing up in Germany all that you do is aim for the big clubs and my whole youth life actually was preparing myself for this big step and playing for these clubs. Being in Germany and being involved in youth development as a young kid it brought me through all the stages and I was ending up in a big club like Leverkusen and I was involved in playing and training with them on a really high level. I was growing up with this process so it was easy to adapt and step into this sort of level, obviously for Australian players they have been growing up here and then go to Europe is a different thing because it's the first time they are getting involved with this environment and it's different to my career where I am growing up with this environment. So it was not easy but a positive challenge and easier to handle over all these years.

After Leverkusen you moved to Lecce and played against players like Gascoigne at Lazio, which must have been a massive boost in confidence playing in front of such a large crowd in one of the most exciting leagues in the world?

Yes I was very lucky when I had the offer to play in Serie A back in 1993/1994 which was the best league in the world at this stage. It was a huge boost for my confidence and skill level but it was also a lot of pressure to handle at such a young age and it wasn't always easy to handle it but I think I did handle it well and I was very happy that I could play there.

Why the move back to Germany after playing in the Serie A?

Obviously playing as a young kid in such big competition it wasn't always easy to be involved playing wise and I came to the stage where I said alright do I stay there and have no connections with my family and everything and I thought I was still young enough to go back to Germany and start there again. Because living away from home and your family and speaking another language it wasn't always easy so I decided to go back to my roots, maybe it was home sickness or something.

From Lecce you went back to Germany and played for Halle 96, from your media coverage there you seemed to enjoy playing back at home?

Oh yes obviously I came back and had to start back at a lower level because when I came back the season had already started and as a young player and starting again at a different level was a very big challenge for me and I enjoyed playing there. I had great years and enjoyed playing football there and I was actually playing there week in week out which is very important for young players rather than playing for big clubs and coming off the bench or playing for the reserves so it was a good idea and it helped to develop my character and skills which is needed to play good football.

At one stage you were rated as "the next big thing in German football", what was that like being compared to great Germans like Klinsmann, Beckenbauer and Mueller?

Yes growing up in Jena which was my youth team and doing a move when I was 15 years old obviously a lot of newspapers used those words and said I was the next big thing. But obviously in saying that there is more to do than just moving there when I was 15 to a big club. I couldn't really stay up there and perform at a younger age a really high level. Back then it was a different mentality, a lot of clubs had already signed up good players, fully developed to be a part of the competitions. In these times everything changed, whoever is off contract can go on a free transfer and the money is not around like it used to be a couple of years ago and now every club is trying to develop their own youth team to bring them onboard at some stage. When I was playing it was really difficult I had to deal with squads of up to 30 senior players fully developed and if you're a youth player it was very hard to get a spot there.

Playing through your junior years at international level, did you ever play in the youth world cup?

I played a number of national team games with Germany but I never had a chance to play in a world cup which is unfortunate but I played in a European tournament and this was a challenge but we ended up getting knocked out in the first round I think against Spain but it still was a good experience playing for my country as a youth.

After playing through a string of clubs in Germany , you made a move to Australia and played for Perth Glory in the old NSL, how did you handle the transition?

Obviously coming over to Australia was another big challenge not knowing what I was facing and having to deal with another language again and trying to bring my family over and trying to settle in quickly to get back to business and perform on the park. My first team when I came over was Perth Glory and everything went very well and we won the NSL championship in the first year that I came over and this was the first year that Perth Glory had made it this far and I was very happy to be involved with it. As you know if you have success everything else is very easy so the transition from Germany to Australia was very easy to handle because of the success with the club.

After being a runner-up at Parramatta Power you were one of the first to sign with the Mariners, how's that been playing along side your old team mates like Beauchamp?

First of all to get picked as one of the first players to get picked up for the new A-League and it showed me that I had 2 good years with my previous clubs and was very happy to see other players signing up for the Mariners who I've been involved with and I was knowing at this stage that the Mariners were signing up very good players and was looking up for the next big challenge and I think we had quiet a success.

After such a remarkable performance in the a-league, you must be proud of being vote midfielder of the year by 4-4-2 magazine and Player of the Year by Mariners Members?

Yes playing a were successful season with the team and everything else that you get like awards and stuff is something on top and I'm very happy that other institutes are rewarding you with this type of thing. What I really want to do is say thank you very much for voting me their favourite player and it's a big honor and it gives me a lot to work with and obviously I'm trying to continue this kind of level and playing to be better than last season.

Will you be backing Australia or Germany through the world cup?

Obviously in following both teams and it's because you follow these teams were you know people or where you've been involved and I know a couple of players from Germany and the Australian team and it's interesting to see how both teams are ending up and I'm cheering for both teams and not everyone has two teams to cheer in a world cup so this is a positive thing.

Are you playing on a growing SoccerPro to a broader scale once you retire or are you planning on making a more professional attempt at coaching possibly in the a-league or abroad?

When you are starting a successful coaching career and this is what I'm aiming for, you have to start at the roots. The roots are the youth; if you understand and work with the players in youth development you have the entire base to become a successful coach. This is why I want to start my own thing with SoccerPro and also would like to have a say in what direction we are heading in and that's why SoccerPro has just start and I can actually create everything on my own to give kids fun and give them everything to become professional players. Of course after that I want to aim for higher things but everything has to be done step-by-step but first I want to get my name out there as a very professional youth developing coach and if I achieve this then I will aim for higher things, but like I said step-by-step and first of all I have to finish my career successfully and then step into my coaching.

Have you got any advice for aspiring kids that want to play professional football?

Yes of course. Unfortunately playing at a professional level it's not just train one day to the other it requires a lot of training and a lot of time. What I can suggest is use your spare time, get yourself a ball and try and do things with it. Any time you have a chance, get on the ball, get some kids together and play games. Stay away from playstations and TV just get out there and play football I think it's very important and then if you have this passion and the support of your parents then it's an easier step to playing professional.

Thanks for chatting with me here at SoccerPro, good luck with the new season.

SoccerPro's top 10
Favourite player? Frank Lampard
Favourite opposition team? Perth glory
Favourite goal you've scored? Sydney FC (round 4)
Next player to break into Australian 11? Michael Beauchamp
Ronaldinho or Ballack? Ronaldinho
Last book you read? Youth development
Last CD you bought? Robbie Williams
Last DVD you watched? Wedding Crashers
Motivation? Aim high to reach high
High point of career? Making 3 grand finals in 3 years in Australia