Von Ole Rottmann (or)
A Life for the Game
When it came down to it, the team showed once again to perfection what their coach Steven Turek unconditionally demands from his players: the greed for victories. Hannover 96's B-Juniors still had nine games to play in the second half of the season. And in time for the crunch time of the 2022/23 season, Turek's highly gifted U17 was permanently on the left lane. First of all, with the best attitude of her experienced coach, she achieved three confident clean sheets in the main round of the Bundesliga North/Northeast. “In every form of training I want to see that the player wants to decide this exercise for themselves,” says Turek. Competitiveness is what it's all about. Always. Every day anew. For Turek and his teams. “To show at the weekend that every single person wants to win this game,” says Turek, who was born in Peine, Germany, in May 1990 and passed the UEFA A coaching license exam in 2012.
Just 18, it started
Turek's coaching career began when he - just of age - was asked by the then youth director of VfB Peine whether he would like to take over a children's team. And Steven Turek was already the coach of the D3. “My very first team,” he says with a laugh. And it quickly caught fire. As a player it was soon over and the coaching job immediately became a passion. “I really got into it,” says Turek, for whom there was never any question of pursuing his former hobby, which has long since become a profession, with full passion and meticulousness: “The players come five- , to you six or seven times a week. As a trainer, you are one of their most important people.”
Peine, Braunschweig, Hannover
In the coming years he coached VfB teams from the U9 to the U17 Lower Saxony League, became a DFB base coach, first moved to Braunschweiger SC Acosta and finally to the Hannover 96 youth academy. He stayed there for seven years, responsible and challenged in many places and most recently as head coach of the U17s in the B-Junior Bundesliga.
Back to spring 2023, in which two series of special games followed the actual points round. And Turek's 96 talents continued to perform. Only three wins from three games with 11:0 goals, followed by two further successes at Bayern Munich (2:0) and the eventual German champions Arminia Bielefeld – 2:1.
The only defeat they suffered was against RB Leipzig, 3-4, before the sports scientist Turek left the Hanover team in the summer - determined to start something new.
Where? The location doesn't matter at first. Turek is mobile and flexible when the task is right.
Learning from all Areas of Performance
Permanent further training characterizes his entire life. Be it at home with a book in hand, on one of the many football pitches or training centers around the world while shadowing or in stimulating conversations with companions and experts. They don't necessarily have to come from football or the sports environment. Writings by neurosurgeons lie on Turek's bedside table, as do the works of well-known speakers who specialize in motivating people. “The trick is to then combine these different expertises with the sport you love,” explains Turek. “I want to read, hear or see something every day that gives me insight into how high performance works.” His motto? “Perfection is a lot of small things done well,” says Turek. It's the details that matter. “Work, discipline, sometimes being allowed to do things wrong,” lists the coach, who cites honesty and integrity as his core values in dealing with people and managing the squad.
The enthusiasm remained
“I am very lucky to be able to do what I like to do professionally. And I can still enjoy football games very, very well,” says Turek, his eyes flashing. No matter whether in the stadium, in front of the television or on the sidelines as the main person responsible. Just like in the spring of 2023, when he won with Hannover 96 against Bayern Munich and Arminia Bielefeld.