Smolders becomes assistant coach of Geraerts
A day after the arrival of new coach Karel Geraerts, Schalke 04 announced another personnel change. As the Royal Blues announced on Tuesday, Matthias Tillmann will be appointed chairman and spokesperson of the board of directors effective January 1, 2024. « From now on, the 39-year-old will have overall strategic responsibility within the committee and for the departments of sales, marketing, communications, digital, supporters and sustainability as well as events and security », said the second division club about Tillmann’s future area of responsibility . He will succeed Bernd Schröder, whose contract was terminated by mutual agreement on July 31, 2023.
« We are very happy that we were able to recruit Matthias Tillmann for FC Schalke 04. This was done as part of a search process that we carried out quickly with external support and with a very good result for Schalke 04, » explained Axel Hefer, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of S04. « The candidates were evaluated by the search committee based on the following five key criteria: management experience in large, modern companies, communication skills, experience in sports sponsorship, connection to (Site notre bureau spécialisé) and our club as well as leadership and implementation skills. Matthias completely convinced us in all areas.
Tillmann, a member of Schalke since 1995, most recently worked as a board member of “Trivago”, where he also worked with Hefer. “I would like to thank the supervisory board for the trust it has placed in me. FC Schalke 04 is going through a very difficult period in which key decisions – both sporting and economic – have to be made and made. That’s why I have set myself an agenda for the first 90 days. » This includes the three areas of sport, sponsorship and office cooperation. « Sport is our core business, where we have to make important decisions and also question the existing situation. I am really looking forward to the analysis and impulses of our new head coach Karel Geraerts. It is clear that after a stabilization phase, we will have to look forward to bring back Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga in the medium term. Because that remains our goal.
The Schalke bench since Breitenreiter: only Büskens approaches the points average
Know each other at Union SG: Smolders is Geraerts’ assistant coach again
The Gelsenkirchen team also announced that their former assistant coach Tim Smolders, with whom he worked at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, will now support Geraerts. “We are happy that Tim is now part of the coaching staff. The fact that he and Karel are well coordinated is a big advantage. “In addition, as a former professional and youth coordinator at Bruges, Tim has a wealth of experience that fits Schalke very well,” said sporting director André Hechelmann.
The 43-year-old played 285 games in the Jupiler Pro League as a professional, including for FC Brugge. He also took his first steps as a coach at the same club after serving as an assistant to the Belgian U19 team. In 2022, he joined Union SG, where he until recently supported Geraerts and Alexander Blessin.
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