Uwe Koschinat will remain head coach of Rot-Weiss Essen beyond the summer of 2026. Assistant coach Dominik Ernst is also extending his contract at Hafenstraße.
This is something very few people involved would have expected. At 7:08 p.m., a murmur rippled through the hall at the Rot-Weiss Essen general meeting. That’s because Marc-Nicolai Pfeifer, RWE’s chairman, announced that head coach Uwe Koschinat had extended his contract, which was set to expire in the summer of 2026.
“In the second half of the season, Uwe Koschinat guided us out of a challenging situation with great clarity and tremendous dedication, securing our place in the league well ahead of schedule. On top of that, we won the Lower Rhine Cup and qualified for the DFB Cup—successes that clearly demonstrate how consistently Uwe and his coaching staff work,” says Pfeifer.
He adds: “We are satisfied with the team’s performance over the past twelve months and, at the same time, see further potential—and we want to continue developing this path purposefully together with Uwe and his coaching staff. Continuity in the sporting realm is a central building block for sustainable success. That is why we are pleased that we were able to extend our partnership and look forward to the rest of the season with conviction and confidence.”
Koschinat, who has been in charge at Rot-Weiss Essen since December 12, 2024, explains: “Last winter, when I took over the team in a relegation spot, I quickly realized how significant RWE is here in Essen and the region. The past twelve months have been intense, very demanding for everyone involved—and they have left a great, positive impression on me. I was able to quickly form a cohesive unit with the coaching staff, and a great sense of community also developed with the fans during the second half of the season. We managed to avoid relegation and won the Lower Rhine Cup.”
The Koblenz native had taken over RWE when the team was in 18th place in the standings, three points behind the safety zone in the 3rd League. He led Rot-Weiss through a strong second half of the season to avoid relegation and finish in 8th place in the final standings of the 2024/25 season. In addition, he won the Lower Rhine Cup in May 2025 (a 2-1 victory in the final against MSV Duisburg), thereby securing qualification for the first round of the 2025/26 DFB Cup.
“Now I am proud to have signed a contract with Rot-Weiss Essen for the second time. I’m approaching this season’s major challenges and ambitious goals with at least the same drive as I did last season’s relegation battle. I’m very happy to continue being part of RWE’s sporting development and to remain at Hafenstraße,” says Koschinat.
The contract extension with assistant coach Dominik Ernst is also a done deal: The 35-year-old, who has been part of the RWE coaching staff since the start of the season, will remain at Hafenstraße beyond the summer of 2026.