The Cologne women‘s and men’s lacrosse teams are offering a part-time position as head coach. Both teams just ended the season in the top 4 rankings of teams in the nation, with the men taking second and the women taking fourth. With the ambition of winning it all ourselves, we are looking for a new coach who will help us reach our goals and to develop the club through the secondary teams and our youth program.
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Why You Should Coach For Cologne Lacrosse
“Because we are the best group of lacrosse people in the nicest German city! In Cologne, we have great teams with a unique dynamic, as we all know each other and spend the major amount of our free time together in small groups or as a whole lacrosse community.
If hired, the Coach will be welcomed in our Club and will feel like they are a part of it from the first day. The Coach will not only be surprised by the strength of our athletes but also by how great of a team we are, working together for the common goal to get better and to have a great time at every practice and game.
The Coach’s job will be to make sure everyone learns, gets better, works hard during every practice and has fun doing it all driven by intrinsic motivation and not outside pressure.
Cologne is also one of the best places to live in Germany. It is a big German city, but still small enough that everything is easy reachable by bike. The food and culture are great, as one can eat all the international food from German, Oriental to American at almost every corner of the city. During the summer time, one can always go out into parks or the city and meet new people.”
What Makes Coaching In Germany Unique
Unlike the U.S., German lacrosse is driven by by small, diverse groups of people which are all highly motivated to have fun and get better with every practice. As every other sport in Germany, lacrosse is organized in Clubs. Having small structures and a flat hierarchy, a Coach can influence the lacrosse program in his Club, region or even all ofGermany a lot by spreading his/her unique philosophy of the game. Lacrosse is not always about winning it is about having fun and having every player playing a role on the team. Building a team does not mean to put only the best players out, but how the team works as a complete unit. A coach in Germany should have a desire to grow the game. Giving back to the game is exactly the motivation one should have when coming to coach in Germany.
Is it hard to adjust to German Culture?
It is not hard to adjust culturally as long as you are always on time, well-structured, organized and have no humor … just kidding. The candidate should be open to try new things. Having a good sense of humor is the biggest advantage one can have to integrate well into the culture. Germans are not pretentious or superficial, we love honesty and directness, which may be hard to get along with in the beginning. But, if you look at it, it makes the group dynamics way easier and one can appreciate it in the long term. Cologne is an easy city to integrate into with many young and open-minded people from all over the world. Aside from lacrosse everyone can find a group of people of shared interests.
Basic Terms Of The Job
▪ Head coach position for the first and second women’s and men’s lacrosse teams, and possibly the youth teams
▪ Part-time job: Three-hour practices three days a week and 20+ games per year on the weekends for each group (league, playoffs, Championships, friendlies)
▪ 800 EUR salary (+possibly some other benefit and an increase depending on your performance and the amount of work)
▪ Starting date: preferably August/September 2019
▪ ALTERNATIVE OPTION: Head coach of only one group women or men (salary would be adjusted accordingly)
Requirements For The Position
▪ Experience in coaching women’s and men’s lacrosse (high school/college/advanced club teams)
▪ Elaborating on short-, mid-, and long term concepts for the team
▪ Further develop and challenge the team as well as the individual players
▪ Dedication and motivation to work hard to bring us to a higher level
▪ Committing to the job for at least one season (one season= 1 year)
▪ Open to European (lacrosse) culture
▪ Sensitivity regarding the diverse and complex team line-up and team dynamics
What We Offer
▪ Full support regarding job hunt, apartment hunt, visa, etc.
▪ Free health care
▪ Access to the German and European lacrosse network (We are currently counting 45 women’s and 54 men’s teams in Germany)
▪ Two very motivated, driven and welcoming teams
▪ An exciting city in the very heart of Europe
About The Team
We have two women‘s and two men’s teams playing in the first and second western league. As a club team, it is very diverse, ranging in age between 19 and 38, as well as in lacrosse experience and athleticism. The women’s team currently counts three players who represented Germany in the 2019 European Championships, while the men’s team currently has eight national team players. In the past four years, the first women’s team has developed exceptionally, from almost relegating into second league in 2015 to winning the bronze medal three years later. Last season, we seriously challenged the two powerhouse teams of the past decade in Germany with just an unlucky ending. The first men’s team has constantly finished in the top-4 teams since 2014 with the first place in 2017.
Cologne
As one of the biggest cities in Germany, Cologne has much to offer.
▪ From a geographical perspective, Cologne is located in the heart of Europe. Any European country can be reached within four hours by plane, car or train.
▪ From a professional perspective, there are a lot of language schools and media companies in the area, one of the biggest Universities in Germany as well as the German Sport University.
▪ On a social basis, people from Cologne are said to be very open minded and like to celebrate. Additionally, the lacrosse community in Cologne counts about 80 members who are happy to make the start in Cologne for new team members much easier.
Apply
Help us to actively push lacrosse in Germany forward and take the opportunity to spend a year (or hopefully more!) in Europe by experiencing friendly people, German and European culture(s) and lifestyle! To apply, please email: colognelacrosse@gmail.com with information about yourself and the qualities you bring to the position as head coach.
Also check out Cologne Indians Lacrosse on Facebook and Instagram as well as www.dlaxv.de for further information about German Lacrosse.
