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Paul Schaffran appointed new head of Youth Performance Centre
The 38-year-old has been working in BVB's youth academy since 2021, initially as head of sports science and, since July 2024, as head of strategy and development. Prior to that, Schaffran spent almost three years as coordinator of the ‘Talent Development in Youth Football’ cooperation project between the Black and Yellows' youth academy and Ruhr University Bochum.
The position of Youth Performance Centre director had been vacant since the promotion of former director Lars Ricken to sporting director in May last year. Ricken said of the decision: "Paul Schaffran has made a significant contribution to the implementation of innovative concepts at the Youth Performance Centre in recent years. These include the integration of bio-banding, in which players are grouped for training and matches according to their physical development rather than their age. He also played a key role in the signings of Thomas Broich and Mathias Schiele. I am convinced that Paul, with his experience and strategic thinking, is the ideal person to promote the development of our young talents and prepare them for the challenges of professional football."
Paul Schaffran says: "I would like to thank Lars Ricken and everyone at Borussia Dortmund for the trust they have placed in me and I am very much looking forward to the new challenge starting in July. I am extremely motivated to continue developing our successful youth work together with an ambitious and passionate team at the academy, and to play a key role in shaping its future. Our goal is and remains to help the talented players we train to become professional footballers and, in the best case scenario, to play in front of the Yellow Wall at Signal Iduna Park."