Adelaide United have announced that German Marco Kurz will be club’s head coach for the next two Hyundai A-League seasons.
Kurz brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Hyundai A-League having played and coached at the highest level in the German Bundesliga.
The 48-year-old made 299 Bundesliga appearances as a player with VfB Stuttgart, FC Nurnberg, Borussia Dortmund, Schalke 04 and 1860 Munich.
His most successful coaching spell came in charge of FC Kaiserslautern, first guiding them to promotion to the top-flight, and then finishing seventh in the 2010/11 Bundesliga season.
Securing a Head Coach was the Club’s number one priority this off-season and Kurz will now have input into finalising the squad for the Hyundai A-League 2017/18 season.
AUFC Head of Football Operations, Ante Kovacevic said Marco was a standout candidate in a very experienced field of applicants.
“It has been a very thorough process and one that has included an exhaustive review of the current playing squad and off contract A League players.
“We have also had in depth discussions regarding Visa players and his expectations of the entire playing group.
“This is an important first step in returning AUFC to the top of the A League”
Speaking from Munich, Kurz said he was impressed by the Club setup and the city of Adelaide.
“Grant Mayer and Ante Kovacevic always left me under the impression that I would be the right person for the job as a head coach in Adelaide. I was impressed by their effort to convince me.
“After valuable conversations with Ante I’m looking forward to taking on this new and exciting challenge.
“I’ve done a lot of research already about the A- League and I’m very proud to become a part of it.”
Kurz will arrive in Adelaide ahead of the Clubs first training session on Wednesday 28 June.
Profile:
Name: Marco Kurz
Age: 48
Playing career
- Made 299 Bundesliga appearances between 1990 and 2004 for the likes of VfB Stuttgart, FC Nurnberg, Borussia Dortmund, Schalke 04 and 1860 Munich.
- In the 1994/95 season won the Bundesliga with Dortmund.
- After one year with Dortmund he moved to arch rivals Schalke and lifted the UEFA Cup at the end of the 1996/97 season.
- In 1998 moved to 1860 Munich and played alongside former Socceroo and Adelaide United player Paul Agostino.
Coaching career
- Started his coaching career with the club he finished at – SC Pfullendorf in the then third division of Germany.
- After coaching the 1860 Munich second team he was appointed first team boss in March 2007 and was at the helm for almost two years.
- In June 2009 he joined FC Kaiserslautern and guided the club to promotion to the Bundesliga for the 2010/11 season.
- He led the side to an impressive seventh placed finished, but the next season parted ways before the club was eventually relegated.
- In December 2012 he was in charge of TSG Hoffenheim, coaching the likes of Roberto Firmino, Andreas Beck, Kevin Volland and Sebastian Rudy – but left in April 2013.
- Appointed head coach of 2. Bundesliga side FC Ingolstadt in June 2013.
- His most recent managerial role was at Fortuna Dusseldorf in 2015/2016.
