The German Floorball Association have announced that their new coaching staff will include Atte Ronkanen and Ilkka Kittilä from Finland, who will be coaching the men’s national team. Ronkanen is also the new Sports director of the association.
The previous head coach of the German men’s national team, Remo Hubacher, and team manager, Stefan Erkelenz, had announced their resignation on Friday 7th of August.
Hubacher is now replaced by Atte Ronkanen. Ronkanen has previously worked as an assistant coach in the team and he joined the squad for the first time in this year’s World Floorball Championships Qualifications in Latvia. His contract covers the upcoming WFC 2020 campaign. In addition to the coaching position, Ronkanen has been named as the Sports director of the German Floorball Association. In this position, he will focus on national team and coach training.
Ronkanen is assisted by Ilkka Kittilä, who is the current head coach of UHC Sparkasse Weißenfels. Kittilä has been coaching in Germany since last year and accepted the additional position of assistant coach in the national team. Kittilä was also seen in the EuroFloorball Cup last October, coaching the women’s team of Weißenfels.
There has been a lot of changes in the coaching staff recently. In addition to Hubacher and Erkelenz, one of the assistant coaches, Johan Nilsson, gave up his position in the team. Earlier, Freya Mordhorst had to give up her position as a physiotherapist for private reasons. The physiotherapist Michael Rothgeber and team manager Stefan Schmitz will remain in the national team staff.
The Central Board of the German Floorball Association is pleased with the quick successful arrangements for the positions: Both Ronkanen and Kittilä bring a lot of experience and know-how, which offers a chance for the national team. It is also important that the ongoing project can be continued smoothly and that all planned team training sessions are carried out. The next meeting of the national team is on the weekend of 4th-6th of September, this time with the new staff, it is stated in Floorball Germany’s news.
Source: German Floorball Association
