Youth leader in the sports club: The tasks of a youth leader
What does the day-to-day work of a youth manager in an amateur club look like? Spized asks youth manager Lars Irion from CfB Ford Köln-Niehl. Lars gives us an insight into a well-organised football club with almost 600 members.

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The youth manager of a sports club is in charge of the underage members and tries to be an important link between the junior department and the board. In most clubs, the youth manager is a member of the board themselves or is part of the ‘extended board’, which is consulted at regular meetings to represent the interests of the juniors. We spoke to Lars Irion, the youth manager of CfB Ford Köln-Niehl. CfB Ford Niehl is a real force in the north of Cologne with around 450 active junior footballers.
spized: Thank you for taking the time to talk about your role as youth manager. Could you start by explaining to us how CfB Ford Niehl has organised the football department in terms of responsibilities?
Lars: The whole thing is special for us. Fortunately, I'm not a typical youth leader at the CfB because we've outsourced a lot of things. We have decided that this is also better in case someone is no longer able to fulfil their role. In such a case, we only lose a small part and not the entire organisation. We have outsourced the clothing, equipment and sports organisation to other people. I'm in charge somewhere, but I don't always know everything. I don't always have to know everything either (laughs). If there are any conflicts, I'm available as a mediator.
spized: The size of the club will certainly be a decisive factor in the basic approach. How many members does CfB Ford Niehl have?
Lars: There are 450 active members in the youth section. With the adult section and the inactive members, we are approaching 600. We are purely a football club that doesn't offer any other sports.
CfB Ford Niehl spreads the burden across several shoulders
spized: Given the scale, it is clear that the time required is higher.
Lars: That's absolutely right. There are many football clubs that have far fewer teams. Then it becomes more realistic as a youth manager to organise everything on your own. From a certain size, it is advisable to distribute tasks. There is the whole association communication and the registrations and cancellations, which require a lot of attention, especially at the change of season. It is complicated when players change because various things have to be checked before they are released.
spized: What things need to be considered when players change clubs?
Lars: First and foremost, we check whether there are any outstanding contributions to be paid and whether the player or the parents have handed in the club equipment - i.e. the kit. In sporting terms, we take a performance-orientated approach. This means that the coaches and sporting directors hold takeover talks with parents and players before the end of the season. We also check whether there have been clear commitments for the season. Then there is the issue of training compensation for transfers to youth performance centres or the transition to the senior sector. But here, too, I only have to do part of the work because most of it has been clarified in advance by the sporting directors. It wouldn't be possible to realise the volume otherwise.
spized: What role does the association play in your work as a youth manager?
Lars: There are all the courses and training programmes, for example. But also holiday camps or trips abroad organised by the association are communicated with the youth leader. Then there is the so-called DFB Mobil, where association sports instructors come to the clubs and offer free training sessions for the club coaches. However, they also want to see a certain number of coaches. This has to be started and organised. As a club, we are always open to training offers.
spized: And do you have the support of the sports directors for the entire organisation?
Lars: Yes, exactly. The sporting directors are present on site and are always up to date when it comes to the team and coaching team. Their feedback is crucial in determining whether certain events or training measures are effective and whether there is approval for them. The sporting directors then assess whether it will help the club, coaches and children in the short, medium or long term.
spized: What other tasks do the sporting directors have?
Tasks of youth leaders: sports leaders are closer to the teams
Lars: When I was asked to take on the role of youth manager a few years ago, I made it very clear that I wanted nothing to do with the sporting decisions. As a result, CfB Ford Niehl chose sporting directors to look after the team on site and solve problems for coaches, children and parents. Over the course of a season, there are quite a few conflicts where the coaches also need support from the club. A youth manager alone is too far away from the individual teams. That's why we have bundled this together. In the meantime, the sporting director also looks after two to three age groups or four to five teams. Then you have a much more focussed eye on things.
spized: So there is a clear division between sporting and administrative tasks?
Lars: Yes, exactly. On the one hand, we want to distribute the workload, but also the competences. One person cannot have an overview of so many teams in an honorary position. For us, it starts with the little ones in the ball school and ends with the senior 1st team. I can only recommend everyone to spread the load over as many shoulders as possible.
spized: So you're not the first point of contact for players, parents or coaches?
Lars: Many coaches come to me when they have a problem. Every now and then, one or two of them inadvertently ignore their sporting director. But that's not a problem because I then clearly point out the right way forward. If the sporting director can't solve the problem, I come into play.
Youth keeper Tasks: Passport system or registrations and cancellations are a lot of work in certain phases of the season
spized: This keeps the time required within a feasible range.
Lars: That's right. Especially as I also take care of the entire password system. That's also a lot of work, where the odd case can slip through. There are a few similar clubs here that have appointed a person for the passport system. I come from the passport system and you can now do that from home because we as a club and the association have already created digital solutions.
spized: How can you imagine such close cooperation with sports managers?
Lars: It's very much based on trust and instinct. If there are tricky situations, you have to listen carefully to what exactly is problematic and how the sporting director wants to solve it. I have a job, a family and children - so the time available for voluntary work is naturally limited. This also applies to many other people involved in our club. This makes it all the more important that the work and responsibilities are well distributed.
spized: As a youth leader, you are also a member of the board. That's the case in many clubs, but it's not mandatory. Is that an advantage of being a board member?

Youth manager and board: short distances in the interests of the juniors
Lars: I clearly see it as an advantage because you get to hear about completely different topics that go beyond my area of responsibility. Certain Board information that I can then pass on to coaches and sporting directors helps the members in their day-to-day work at the club. And conversely, it's also important that I represent the interests of the juniors to the board. This means that if the juniors need new mini goals, I can bring this up immediately at the meeting. So the path is very short. Strictly speaking, however, I'm only part of the extended board, which is consulted at the meetings.
spized: So you are a link between the junior teams and the board members?
Lars: That's right. I can communicate the interests of the youth department, point out any shortcomings or warn against them if a strategic decision is to the detriment of the juniors. The latter is not really the case for us because we place a lot of value on our youth footballers.
spized: With over 500 members, there will also be events outside of normal match operations. Are you also responsible for this as youth manager?
Lars: We have two big international children's tournaments on our pitch in the autumn and at Whitsun. With Juventus, Ajax, West Ham and 1. FC Köln, we host all the big names. Two events with a few thousand guests each. Here, too, a colleague from the Executive Board is mainly responsible. Everyone on the board has their own tasks and provides support wherever possible. The fact that these tournaments are so big means that we also have fewer events out of the ordinary.
spized: The topic of team registrations is also very important. What exactly do you have to do as a youth manager?
Lars: Basically, the team registrations are very simple. You can register online with the association. And up to a certain point, you can do this however you like without fear of penalties or consequences. Reporting is very easy. It gets complicated, at least for us, when it comes to the divisions and league affiliation. We take a performance-orientated approach and want to see the teams play as high as possible. However, this is not always compatible with the circumstances of the team or the association.
CfB Ford Niehl: Sports managers are on site and pass on the most important information
spized: Does this mean that you and the coaches have to assess the teams well in sporting terms?
Lars: The sporting assessment is primarily made by the sporting directors together with the coaches. We are not an NLZ (junior performance centre, editor's note), which means that not all teams are equally strong. The association also has promotion and relegation regulations that have to be observed. The sporting directors then give me the feedback I need, taking into account the association's rules and sporting judgement. That works very well for us overall.
spized: This applies to all junior teams?
Lars: The FVM (Football Association of the Middle Rhine, editor's note) doesn't have a proper match organisation with promotion and relegation up to the U12s - i.e. D youth. With the little ones, it's usually more about how many teams we register, i.e. how many children we have registered in the year group and how the influx from outside is. We also check whether there are enough coaches for the teams. The information is then collected on site by the sports managers and passed on to me.
spized: The range of tasks of a youth leader can be very diverse. How important is it to have structure and organisation?
Lars: Self-organisation is the be-all and end-all. Depending on my work and family life, I set myself fixed times when I do my voluntary work at lunchtime or in the afternoon. You can now sense when more CfB work is due and can plan accordingly. But it's also very important to complete the tasks reliably. After all, almost 50 coaches and supervisors rely on you.
Youth leader competences: ‘Passion for the club and the task is most important’
spized: As a youth leader, are you also a kind of mediator who intervenes when two sides can't reach a solution?
Lars: Yes, that can happen from time to time. But it's less common in our club because we have so many good people. A calm and level-headed approach is required in such situations. After all, both sides have their reasons and arguments at hand. The aim is then to prioritise the interests of the club and de-escalate the situation.
spized: In your opinion, what skills are important to perform the job of youth leader well?
Lars: It's not really a skill, but passion for the club and for the job is probably the most important thing (laughs). Seriously, it's a very responsible and arduous job that simply requires desire and enthusiasm. Not every task is the ultimate fun factor - but with a passion for our sport and club, it's easy to endure.
spized: Finally, what do you think are the three most important skills for a youth leader?
Lars:
- passion
- reliability
- organisation
spized: Thank you very much for your time. We wish you and CfB Ford Niehl all the best for the future.