"I love football, teamwork and togetherness" | OneFootball

Rouven Schröder training camp interview

On 1 December 2024, Rouven Schröder joined us in Salzburg from RB Leipzig and took on the newly created role of Managing Director for Sport. We got hold of the 49-year-old German here at our training camp and asked him for an interview. He spoke about his first few weeks of work, squad planning, getting used to life in Salzburg and watching the ice hockey.

Rouven Schröder interview

Rouven, you have worked as our managing director of sport for over a month, what are your first impressions?

"It's been a very intense time so far, but I was expecting that. It’s not often a club would make such a change in the middle of the season. We had some very good talks and agreed it was something we would do, and it was a step I really wanted to take. I came to a club with a fantastic set-up at the beginning of December. At first, it was mainly about me making observations. I had to absorb everything, get to know everyone – but I got about everywhere and quickly wanted to take direct responsibility for implementing things. Together with Stephan Reiter, we turned over a lot of stones and analysed a lot. Now I am in the thick of it, I feel comfortable, am full of energy and am noticing how the group is growing closer and closer together and setting their shared goals. Meeting those will be a challenge, but one I am very much looking forward to."

Can we assume it hasn't been a quiet 9-to-5 job for you here so far?

"No, of course not.  If you want to be successful, you can't work like that. Even if you managed to finish work punctually at 5:00 p.m. every day, it is a profession that is with you mentally every step of the way. Whether it's about squad structure, possible transfers, coaching staff and other support staff, when you're in the car or travelling somewhere, you always have these trains of thought about football.

Some may not imagine this. When people see me sitting having a coffee somewhere, I'm probably thinking about how I can solve certain problems or improve things, what measures to take in squad planning and more. This job is highly intensive, but that's exactly what makes it so exciting. When I see that one moving part can interact with another, for instance, it gives me a good feeling.

It has also happened to me that I woke up at night and found my brain racing on certain topics. I always like to write down important trains of thought directly so as not to lose them – a habit that is not always so fun for my wife, at the moment. That's the way it is, though, and in the transfer period it's all allowed [laughs]."

How can we imagine your everyday work in general, if there is such a thing as everyday for your?

"In Salzburg, the first step was to introduce myself to each of the business units. Stephan Reiter and I work closely together not only because our offices are next door to each other but also because we were talking a lot from the very beginning.

In addition, you are in contact with the coach day after day, asking when we can meet, when the training times are, when and where it makes sense for me to come along to it and such topics.

For me, it was important, especially at the beginning, to be at the Taxham training centre a lot to soak things up. There is so much to consider: How do people treat each other, what are the hierarchies like, what is the team like in terms of character? These are all topics that are extremely important to get to know in our planning."

On the subject of squad planning: Karim Onisiwo is an experienced new signing – how do you rate the transfer window so far, and where might it take us?

"We also had two departures, Douglas Mendes on loan and Fernando. Transfers away from the club are just as important as new signings. One does not work without the other. With Thomas Letsch, however, we also now have a completely different assessment for the players in many areas. This is giving every player the chance to prove and show what he can do from fresh.

A player who may have been in a difficult situation before and was not expected to feature can be seen very differently with a new coach - they can also liven up the team like a new signing. This automatically reignites internal competition. It will be very exciting for us to compare the before-and-after performance of individual players.

The squad is well stocked - we are convinced of that, which of course does not mean that we will not continue to make adjustments when the opportunities arise on the transfer market. The Midtjylland friendly will once again be an important yardstick and allow us to take a closer look at one or the other of our boys.

There is one thing we will certainly not do - act against our convictions. If we are not convinced a player will make us better, we won't sign him."

How do you feel personally in Salzburg now?

"Really good! I have found an apartment by now, which is of course an important element in feeling at home somewhere. I always thought that Salzburg is just such an incredibly beautiful city. You only have to start to drive towards it from Germany and see the mountains all around, and you will get goosebumps. The city has a lot to offer, the Salzach and the nature are simply incredibly beautiful, and I've been to ice hockey twice now." Did you go to the ice hockey on business or just because you enjoy it?

"I'm just a big fan of this sport. Wherever I lived, I always went to ice hockey as much as I could, and I also watched the NHL in America. You should never compare football and ice hockey one-to-one, because so many circumstances are completely different. Of course, there are also things that you can take with you into your own field. I once had a situation in which I talked to a player about the topic of pressure to perform. I recommended the ice hockey documentary Face - off [an official NHL documentary] to him because it provided a good different perspective on the subject.

Overall, however, I haven't been able to enjoy the city as much as I would like to yet. I’m planning that after the transfer window. I'm looking forward to that, but we've still got some way to go. Now it's time for me to do my job with all my power focused on the here and now.”

On the subject of the here and now: You were also an interested spectator at the training sessions here in Portugal – how would you assess the last sessions you experienced?

"What we get to see day after day in training, right now, is exactly what makes the so-called Red Bull football stand out. We are active and dynamic off-the-ball, we have a togetherness and push one another on, the competitive streak that makes defeats annoy us, the positive sense of wildness – it's all there. With Thomas Letsch, we also have a coach who gives the team absolute consistency and clarity. Of course, the boys have to back that up with performances in matches, but I really like the way we are going about it so far. Of course, we want to perform as best as we can against two world-class teams, Real Madrid and Atletico, in the coming weeks. What we definitely have to be properly prepared for is February, when it comes to getting results nationally in the ÖFB Cup and the Austrian Bundesliga. There are no excuses for us, we have to and want to do the best we can."

What is your general impression of the training camp?

"I am always amazed at how well training camps are now organized. Things were not so structured in past. It's nice when the club gets all the players and staff together to eat together and joke together. It's not just about the players, we have so many people throughout the staff who work on contributing their part to this puzzle every day. The most important thing in the training camp is this community. We also have ideal conditions with the weather and the pitch. For me, we have to appreciate such things and not take them for granted. We have been lucky enough to turn our hobby into a profession, we are a big part of the world of football, and we have ideal facilities. You have to be clear about that, soak it up, and then make the best of it in order to be successful together. That helps me get my energy out – after all, I love football, I love teamwork and community, and I see and experience all of that here!"