ASC 09 Dortmund would have parted ways with Marco Stiepermann’s coaching team next summer anyway. Now it’s happening sooner.

At the end of October 2025, ASC 09 Dortmund announced that successful coach Marco Stiepermann and assistant coach Justin Martin will be leaving next summer.

“We had already agreed last year that we would sit down together during the season and decide how to proceed,” explained Dennis Hübner, sporting director of ASC 09 Dortmund, at the time.

He added: “Marco and his team are not only doing great things on the pitch, they also fit in very well with the ASC family on a personal level. Our goal was to give Marco the opportunity to gain important experience and develop further in his still young coaching career. Now it’s time for him to take the next step after this season.”

Now the separation is being brought forward. As the club announced on Thursday evening, January 22, the duo are leaving with immediate effect. They were actually supposed to hand over to their successor Magnus Niemöller next summer.

According to the club, the duo requested the early termination of their contracts. “Marco and Justin approached us with the request to terminate their contracts with immediate effect,” said Hübner. “Despite the impending separation in the summer, we would have liked to finish the season with them. Unfortunately, that was not what they wanted.”

ASC 09 Dortmund is currently fourth in the Oberliga Westfalen table. Niemöller will then set the course for the future this summer. “In Magnus, we are gaining a coach who stands for continuity, development, and success in Westphalian amateur soccer like no other. His experience in the Oberliga and beyond is impressive. In our discussions, he showed us that he is passionate about the job and ASC. We are convinced that he is an excellent fit for our club, both athletically and personally, and that he will give our squad new impetus,“ said Hübner when announcing the decision. Niemöller added: ”Taking over as coach at ASC 09 is both a matter close to my heart and a challenge for me. I am aware of the magnitude of the task and will approach it with full conviction, but also with the necessary humility, starting this summer. As coaches in Erkenschwick and Haltern, we often faced each other in heated duels. Even then, I had enormous respect for ASC.”