Iconic Heidenheim manager announces departure after twenty years

Schmidt departs after 17 years leading Heidenheim from fourth-tier obscurity to Bundesliga, citing need for a break.

Frank Schmidt has announced he will leave FC Heidenheim at the end of the season after nearly two decades as head coach. The 52-year-old, who has managed the club continuously since 2007, informed club president Holger Sanwald on Monday that he will not renew his contract.

Schmidt explained his decision on the club's website, saying the club made impressive efforts to convince him to stay, but he felt the time had come to step away. "I want to take a break after almost twenty years," he said, adding that he has not yet decided what comes next and is deliberately avoiding planning that far ahead.

Schmidt's tenure represents one of football's great underdog stories. He took over Heidenheim when they competed in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg, the fourth tier of German football, and guided them through a gradual climb that culminated in promotion to the Bundesliga in 2023. In their debut season, Heidenheim finished an impressive eighth and qualified for the Conference League, where they reached the knockout stages before losing to FC Copenhagen. The club has since been relegated back to the second tier, where they currently sit sixth after ten matches. Schmidt remains committed to finishing his final season strongly.