Club

Hrubesch steps down as HSV’s academy director

The club’s academy director and women’s football advisor is set to step down from his role with the club – “I will always remain a part of HSV and am happy to now pass the reins to the next generation.”

Horst Hrubesch is a man of few words, especially when it comes to talking about himself. Over the last weeks, the 74-year-old has met with the club’s management team, coaches and those close to him in order to discuss whether or not he will extend his contract as HSV’s academy director past 30th June 2025. Hrubesch has now arrived at a decision, saying “It’s now time for new people to take up responsibility. I will always remain a part of HSV and am happy to now pass their reins to the next generation.”

Hrubesch shared his decision with Stefan Kuntz, HSV’s board member for sport, who accepted it somewhat reluctantly. “Anyone who knows and has worked with Horst would never voluntarily do without him. But once Horst has made a final decision, then it’s rarely possible to change his mind. In the end, we owe a debt of gratitude to both him and his family for the fact that he was able to take up such a position at HSV for so long.” The former world-class striker joined the Rothosen nearly five years ago, having previously been the DFB’s youth director. He will now pass the reins on to Christoph Rohmer, Loic Fave, Julia Brinkschröder, Saskia Breuer and other colleagues who have all worked closely with Hrubesch over the past season in order to initiate several strategic decisions.

“Christoph, Saskia, Loic and Julia know their stuff and are fully committed to HSV. They are up to the task, thanks to my good friend Sven Marr’s excellent administrative work in our academy,” Hrubesch said. Hrubesch will now step down from his role at HSV, but will leave behind far more than just an academy filled with talented youngsters. “We have completed considerable restructuring work, which Horst was instrumental in initiating and implementing,” Kuntz said. Starting in January 2024, Hrubesch assembled a new leadership team with the core objective of developing more talented players for the first team in a more focused approach than before, while also strengthening the links between the club’s first team and youth department.

At the same time, Hrubesch also quickly dedicated himself to a matter close to his heart: women’s football. The former Germany women’s head coach provided a lot of support to HSV’s women’s team, serving as a mentor and internal advisor for those involved in the women’s football department and on the coaching staff, in addition to also meeting to speak with the players. When the women’s team was then able to celebrate their promotion to the Bundesliga a day after the men’s team, Hrubesch watched the celebrations from afar and whispered with a smile: “They’ve earned it.”

Hrubesch has kept busy over the last years, even stepping in to take charge of the Germany women’s team, during which time he helped them qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris where the team ended up taking home a bronze medal. The 74-year-old is not one to sing his own praises, preferring to leave that to others. Amongst his colleagues at HSV, as well as the players, Hrubesch is often described as “a valuable confidant,” “a knowledgeable advisor,” and “a good person.” As a person, he’s never been one to shy away from responsibility and has always put himself fully at the service of the club. The best example for this came in April 2021, when the club had just parted ways with head coach Daniel Thioune. Hrubesch then stepped up and took charge of three games as interim coach of the men’s first team.

Under his charge, the club’s academy blossomed as well. The HSV U21s have been bolstered by fresh energy and haven’t finished lower than eighth in the Regionalliga since 2020. In recent years, the team’s average age has often hovered at just under 20 years of age. The HSV U19s reached the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal in 2024 and progressed to the quarter-finals of the U19 Bundesliga this season. The club’s U17s also made it to the round of 16 in the U17 Bundesliga in 2024/25. “Working with academy players is also a matter of patience,” said Hrubesch. What makes him happiest is seeing young players who are willing to work hard to improve and that then go on to play for the first team. “This pathway must be and will remain one of our core objectives,” he said.

But fear not: although he is stepping down from his role, Hrubesch’s expertise and experience will always remain accessible to the club. “Our doors are always open for Horst,” said Kuntz. “Hopefully, Horst will also continue to regularly come watch our men and women play in the future.”