Our

Story

Raffael

&

Thorsten

Raffael (Young Coach): My name is Raffael, and I am a player at the MSV Moers Caritas Kickers. Thorsten and I have known each other for five years, and for the past year we have both been actively involved in the club.

Thorsten (Tandem Partner): My name is Thorsten and I am a coach at the MSV Moers Caritas Kickers. I played football competitively more than 40 years ago and have only recently taken on a coaching role. I first came across the club five years ago and was a keen supporter for a long time before deciding to take on a more active role within the club.

Raffael: I have been playing for the club for many years and know the team and the coaches well. That is why I wanted to get more involved and start leading my own training sessions. The Tandem Young Coach Education was the ideal opportunity for me to learn how to plan and structure sessions effectively, so that I can support the other coaches in the best possible way.

Thorsten: As a former footballer, I bring a lot of playing experience, but as a coach, I am still at the beginning of my journey. The Tandem Young Coach Education gave me the perfect opportunity to deepen my knowledge while also learning more about disability football. As soon as I heard about the programme, I immediately thought of Raffael, as he is the ideal partner for me.

Raffael: The education showed me how even demanding and repetitive exercises, such as running drills, can be made more engaging and varied through games. This not only makes the training more enjoyable but also increases motivation. Over the past few days, Thorsten and I have grown even closer as a team.

Thorsten: The training was intensive but highly valuable. Even at my age, I was able to learn a lot, especially through working with my Young Coach. I was particularly impressed by his determination to see everything through to the end and never give up. The methods we learned were extremely valuable for me, and I will definitely apply them in our club.

Raffael: I found it especially interesting to learn more about different types of disabilities and to see how other Young Coaches approach them. For example, I previously knew very little about autism and how it affects someone’s everyday life, so gaining new insights was very valuable.

Thorsten: My personal highlight was a situation where we had to change pitches at short notice due to a double booking. Our entire plan was disrupted, yet no one complained. On the contrary, everyone immediately stepped in and worked together to find solutions so that we could quickly get back on track. For me, this was a powerful example of how important team spirit is.