Felix Hirschnagl leads the U19s through the start of preseason | OneFootball

Hirschnagl, most recently the successful coach of TSV Munich 1860’s U21 team, has been getting to grips with his new surroundings since the beginning of the week and is impressed by what he's seen so far: “I have met many people who have made it easy for me to settle in. There is someone to contact for every problem and every question. The working conditions are ideal.”

The successor to Mike Tullberg, who moved up to the U23s, started his new project full of anticipation on his 41st birthday. “There is very little time left before the DFB Youth League kicks off on 2/3 August. We will use it to work in a focused and constructive manner.” Individual training, as well as developing and promoting talent, are at the top of the priority list. His mission is to guide BVB’s home-grown players into the professional ranks. The boys can look forward to a week off at the start of the summer holidays, with the squad then convening for a training camp in Arnhem from 6 to 11 July, “which we want to use to bring the squad closer together,” says Hirschnagl.

The U19 squad includes three goalkeepers and 22 outfield players, among them Samuele Inacio and Mathis Albert, who are currently still away with the first team in the Club World Cup in the USA. The U19 team are competing in four competitions: The competitive season begins on the first weekend of August with the DFB Youth League, followed by the first round of the DFB-Pokal on 16/17 August, the first matchday of the UEFA Youth League from 16 to 18 September, and in March 2026, the team will enter the Westfalen Pokal. BVB have planned five friendly matches to date: against SC Paderborn (25 June), VfL Bochum (5 July), the U21 team of BV de Graafschap as part of their training camp, the U21 team of SC Verl (12 July) and the reigning U19 German champions 1. FC Köln.