There are 19 pink cones on the lawn in front of Manuel Baum. “Dance with the ball. Let’s go,” calls the former Augsburg and Schalke coach. It’s not Bundesliga professionals to whom he shouts that – it’s 19 children who play their ball around the cones on command. “Get him! Faster! Good,” calls Baum. Anyone who convinces him today will be allowed to play in TSV Trudering’s youth team in the future. Bundesliga coach Baum included. But the seven- and eight-year-olds first have to prove themselves. They have an hour and a half for a series of exercises.
The balls fly high in the air, and the children spin beneath them. They look like blobs of paint, some are wearing a blue Sechzger jersey, others a red Bayern Munich jersey. Eight of them are already part of the team. The rest will be. There is only room for one or two, explains Ulf Martensmeier. He and Norbert Stockinger are coaches of the team alongside Baum.
The three seem to be doing their job well. At least the U8-1 brought home some victories. The 2014 vintage can be measured in Munich in the categories “weak”, “medium” and “strong”. In the third, the young Truderingers won almost every game last season. At the weekend they became champions for the second time, says Martensmeier proudly.
Until December 2020, Manuel Baum coached the Schalke 04 pros…
(Photo: Florian Peljak/Florian Peljak)
… now he is looking for talents in Trudering.
(Photo: Florian Peljak/Florian Peljak)
The slippers also have to be checked from time to time.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
It has danced itself out. “Imagine there’s a face on the ball and you’re trying to hit the nose,” is the task now. Other instructions that Baum directs to the little ones sound less metaphorical. Every few minutes, the sound of “Concentrate on the exercise!” echoes across the sports grounds. Or: “Don’t be stupid!”
Such sentences would not have fitted so well into Baum’s everyday life until recently. The 42-year-old coached the Schalke 04 pros until December 2020, before the last Bundesliga game of the year he was then released. But he finds: “In terms of content, it’s all about the same thing.” Professionals as well as youngsters – the techniques would not differ much. Baum also has experience with younger players, having previously coached the German U-18 national team. Today he mainly works as a television expert for associations, he says. And he has been volunteering with TSV Trudering for about a year and a half.
The pink hats are gone. The little kickers now dribble through blue markers. Then it has to be quick: Aim at goal, shoot, ideally hit. And if not? Missed the chance? Not necessarily. Today, “movement talent” is looked at, explains Baum. It’s not just about winning. This also applies to the team. Although one is “performance-oriented”, the focus is “the development of the kids”. Keyword “value transfer”. The children should be prepared for “certain challenges” and learn a sense of responsibility. If you want to play, you have to be able to come to training and the games reliably for a year. Those who show “self-motivation, i.e. enjoy everything” and “ability to learn” have a good chance of becoming part of the group.
It’s not just about winning, says Baum. It’s about conveying values.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
“Is it going to be a duel,” boomed the pitch. The talent scouting has reached the final round: the children show what they can do in three-on-three. A coach is watching – at least most of the time. Sometimes they have other things to worry about. For example, Martensmeier comforts a boy on the sidelines. He cries. Another accidentally stepped on his foot with his cleated shoes.
And tree? Kneel on the floor. A girl with blond hair stretches out her foot. The laces are untied. She can’t tie a bow yet. This is also one of the tasks here.
Why does someone who trains professionals tie shoelaces? Baum gives several answers. The practical one: “We live just around the corner.” The second has to do with family. The seven-year-old son plays here. The third with ideals: Baum also wants to “give something back”.
Red cheeks, hair sticking to the forehead. After a good hour and a half, the footballers are out of breath. Tree whistles. “Nice tournament,” he praises. And? Talent spotted? “One or two are already there,” says Manuel Baum. The coaches want to decide before the summer holidays whether they have played into the team today.