Magnus Niemöller has been one of the most successful coaches in Westphalia in recent years. He is currently without a job. We spoke to the successful coach.

He has achieved promotion to the regional league three times as a coach, once with TuS Haltern and twice with Spvgg. Erkenschwick. He had previously achieved promotion to the Oberliga with both clubs. Not to mention that he led Erkenschwick’s U19 team to the Junior Bundesliga twice. We are talking about Magnus Niemöller, who has not taken on a coaching job since leaving Spielvereinigung Erkenschwick in April 2025.

The 52-year-old from Waltrop is undoubtedly one of the most successful coaches in Westphalia. His last game as a coach was six months ago. Not much has been heard from Niemöller since then. Now, for the first time, he talks about his plans for the future in an interview with Forecasting.

Magnus Niemöller, you have been known for many years as a successful and passionate soccer coach in the youth and senior sectors in Westphalia and beyond. Your last competitive game with Spvgg. Erkenschwick was six months ago. How are you doing today?

I’m in great shape at the moment, I’m very relaxed – everything is fine.

You are known as a workaholic who sets no limits on success for his clubs. Don’t you miss the day-to-day business of soccer?

At the very beginning, it wasn’t a longing for a break, but rather the firm conviction that after a total of 17 years, it was over in Erkenschwick. That’s what led to my decision to take some time off. Not having to stand on the sidelines right now isn’t difficult for me at all – especially since I’m also heavily involved in my job as Director of Sales and Key Account Management at BFS health finance, part of the Bertelsmann Group.

Anyone who has known you for a long time can’t imagine you without soccer. After all, you were always the one who developed players and drove teams to success. Now you’re thinking about yourself?

For once, yes (laughs). Until now, my time management has always been determined by others. A few months ago, I had the opportunity to meet up with old school friends and attend family celebrations again. I was able to be an integral part of something that I otherwise hardly had time for. I am really enjoying the break from soccer, even though many people always assume that I am not succeeding. However, a break after more than 30 years as a coach should also serve to recharge my batteries and release energy for new ideas and inspiration. That is currently my motivation and my inner compass.

I believe a coach has to build a strong relationship with the team. It’s important to be a team player as a coach and you have to feel the group. As a coach, you have to be a leader and exemplify success. This sometimes requires patience and always authenticity. The players will quickly see through you if you’re an actor; only those who are genuine will win over the players in the long term.

Magnus Niemöller

As a coach, has it been possible for you to completely get soccer out of your head?

When you’re employed as a coach at a club, it’s practically impossible to switch off from soccer. The job, which is also a hobby, occupies your mind every day, all year round. There’s really no break and you lose a lot of sleep. I experienced this firsthand twice, in Erkenschwick and in Haltern. At both clubs, the coaching job didn’t just consist of holding training sessions, but also involved taking on many other tasks in which you were actively involved. You have to shape the entire project with the club, and to do that, I always have to know what is possible. It also helps enormously in sporting terms when you are in a promotion battle and know that you have mastered these situations before. In Erkenschwick and Haltern, you achieved maximum success with your teams. What does success mean to you?

The word “success” already implies that something will happen. I have always been able to convey to my players that we as a group are also the reason for our success. The best combination is when all your players are good people, as was the case in Erkenschwick and Haltern. Then you are virtually unstoppable in sporting terms, self-confidence ignites and success happens. Combined with a healthy dose of trust. Give us an example from a coach’s perspective. I believe a coach has to build a strong relationship with the team. It’s important to be a team player as a coach and to have a feel for the group. As a coach, you have to be a leader and exemplify success. That sometimes requires patience and always authenticity. The players will quickly see through you if you’re an actor; only those who are genuine will win over the players in the long term. You have led Erkenschwick’s U19 team to the Bundesliga twice, you have led Spvgg. Erkenschwick and Haltern from the Westfalenliga to the Regionalliga, you were recently in the Westfalen Cup final, and you have trained and developed numerous talented players. Do you trust yourself most of all? Trust is a good keyword. Without mutual trust, you can’t get through a soccer season. It is one of, if not the most important prerequisite for successful, collaborative action. At Spvgg., during the 17 years I was active there, I managed to create a great culture of trust together with Hermann Silvers, who passed away far too early, my former coaching colleagues Stefan Mross, Thorsten Kornmaier, Patrick Kemmerling, Christian Kelm, and Oliver Bautz.

Can you tell us the primary goals you wanted to achieve with both clubs?

We wanted to establish the clubs as top addresses in the region – we have achieved that. But if you want to compete with the best on a permanent basis, you have to keep developing. And in the best case, faster than the others do. That means increased attention at all times. What we demanded from our players on the pitch had to be exemplified by the coaching staff and management. That’s why it’s always difficult to pinpoint the status quo on a timeline. In other words, with a philosophy, perseverance, attention to detail, and a mixture of hard work and a relaxed attitude, goals are always achievable.

Keyword: leadership. How have you created models for success in your previous clubs?

We had the necessary patience and allowed ourselves to go our own way. As is well known, I took over both teams in the Westfalenliga – people sometimes forget that. What impresses me most is that we were able to build an honest and sustainable image. What’s more, behind all the emotion and passion there is a very clear plan. And it wasn’t just the victories that created cohesion. It was the feeling that we were all on a journey together, on which we overcame many challenges. You are the record coach at Stimberg and the most successful coach in the club’s history. At the beginning of January, you announced that you would not be renewing your contract, which expires in the summer of 2025, and six weeks before the end of the season, you parted ways. In addition, 18 players have left the club. How do you feel about that today?

In short: now I’m a real coach (laughs). Every coach experiences stories like this in their career; after all, it’s always just a temporary job. It is, of course, the right and, above all, the duty of a soccer club to rethink its strategic concepts and create a promising foundation for the future. When your boss gives an order, we as employees have to deal with it. I was able to experience firsthand what Haltern and, above all, Erkenschwick with its great fan base mean for the city and the region. I believe that our style of soccer was an enrichment overall.

Be honest: how disappointed were you really?

When I returned to Erkenschwick in 2022, the club was in the gray midfield of the Westfalenliga. In addition to my job as coach, I also unofficially served as sporting director. Together with my coaching team, we very quickly put together a team that was able to celebrate the championship and the long-awaited promotion to the Oberliga. We also reached the Westfalen Cup final. A year later, as league newcomers, we even knocked on the door of the Regionalliga, crowning a strong season by finishing fourth in the table. We had formed a team that, in the long run, could only stop itself. At that point, we were an absolute results machine. And then? Well, things change. Suddenly, there were people in positions of responsibility who wanted to sail with yesterday’s wind. That could never work. I pointed out the undesirable developments very calmly internally. Namely, that with a self-induced lull, it would not be possible to maintain the growth path that had been set out, and other teams would overtake the club. To put it a little more loosely: “Those who slow down lose.” Of course, speaking self-critically, I should have generated much more wind of my own against this structure. Because everyone knows that good coaches have to be annoying. According to rumors, clubs from the Regionalliga West and the Oberliga have recently approached you about a possible engagement. What will be Magnus Niemöller’s next sporting challenge? Good try—I would prefer not to answer that. Otherwise, I would have to comment on everything. I’m currently very busy with work. But I believe that the break from coaching is doing me so much good that I will rediscover the joy of coaching. I believe that you can sense when the right and feasible opportunity comes along. I don’t want to limit myself in any way, but rather remain very open, because I haven’t finished my coaching career yet.