ÖFB women’s team boss Söndergaard: “I want to see a compact unit”

When Schöttel speaks of an “important signal for Austria’s women’s football”, then one or the other thinks back to January 2025, when Schriebl was there Irene–Fuhrman– A surprise candidate has come into play as a successor. However, Schöttel does not want to describe the 14-month project as “failed”. “But it didn’t go so well that I still believed at the end that we would still achieve our World Cup goal,” he admits.

The qualification for the World Cup in Brazil 2027 is still the big goal to which “everything must be subordinated”. The chance to qualify for a World Cup in women’s football for the first time is with this Play-offs in the fall upright, which is why this step is necessary right now.

And here comes Lars Sondergaard into the game. The 67-year-old Dane has just become a grandfather. After a number of coaching positions, including several Austrian Bundesliga clubs and the Danish women’s national team, he thought that he could now concentrate on family and his love of ski touring – with a second home in Pongau, by the way.

Team boss in the “second home”

“It was not the plan to return to the coaching bench,” Söndergaard told journalists on Monday. “But I noticed that the fire was still burning.” He describes the task of leading the Austrian women’s team to the World Cup and being part of the tournament as team leader as “very attractive”.

Schöttel was after the ÖFB women’s two games against Germany contacted the Dane. The aim was to get a second opinion about the team’s strengths and weaknesses. But the “very good and pleasant” conversations led to more: namely, to one thing Contract until the end of 2026. And with the option for more.

“I have a holiday apartment in Altenmarkt, I am in Austria very often. Why not as a team boss,” joked Söndergaard dryly. “I was a team boss in my home country of Denmark, and becoming a team boss in my second home is an honor for me.”

Leadership style instead of playing style

Unlike Schriebl at the beginning of his term, Söndergaard doesn’t want to commit to one type of football right from the start. He is watching a lot of videos, is already having conversations with the players and will then decide who will play and how they should play. “I want to press hard when possible, but above all I want to see a compact unit on the pitch. To have the courage to exploit positions when building up the game.”

In doing so, he addresses some of the weak points that have recently become visible. “The team should be a team.” This is also said to have been a problem recently. His leadership style is to have a “flat hierarchy”. He also expects the same from the team, which recently saw a change with many young players.

The word “respect” is mentioned again and again – for the players, for the coaching team, but also for the opponents. ÖFB supervisory board chairman Josef Pröll emphasizes that Söndergaard has what it takes to “put things in order and move them forward. The experience of the last few years and decades will also have an impact on the team.”