Looking back with Rüdiger Kos

How long have you been with BVB and how did you come to us? 

I've been here since March 2012, so almost nine years. The U19s goalkeeping coach at the time, who, like me, had his playing career in the Sauerland region, asked me whether I could imagine bringing through young talent at what was then called the BVB Evonik Football School. It was breaking new ground for me, as I had only worked with adults until then.

I accepted the challenge and suddenly I was standing on the pitches next to SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, training the goalkeepers of tomorrow. It was a good decision because it's incredibly good fun to be able to follow the development of the kids.

Can you give us an insight into what courses there were for goalkeepers back then and whether there have been any changes in that regard?

At the very beginning, there was only one course on offer, namely the beginners' course. It took place every Tuesday and Thursday. Although each training session only lasted 45 minutes, children from as far away as Hanover, Osnabrück or Cologne came to take part in the training. It wasn't until later that we added courses such as holiday courses, advanced courses, high-performance courses and the mobile goalkeeping school.

Do you have a moment or a story that sticks in your mind and that you really want to share with us?

There have certainly been plenty of unforgettable moments over the last few years, but one in particular springs to mind straight away. We were running a holiday course in Hesse, in the quiet village of Wallau to be specific. A small boy, I think he was eight years old at the time, took part in the holiday course for outfield players. What made him different from the other young boys was his handicap – unlike all the other boys and girls, he only had one powerful leg. He needed a walking aid. But the boy's performance in training was absolutely fantastic. Not only was he at least as fast as the others, but he also had incredible technique. The coaches who had come with us could not believe their eyes. That really touched me in a positive way and made me realise that almost nothing is impossible.

Another highlight was certainly our holiday course in Westendorf in the beautiful Tyrol. From Monday to Thursday, we had picture-perfect weather with temperatures around 35 degrees.

Then on Friday night, torrential rain started pouring down and made both of our natural turf pitches unplayable. The parents of one of the children owned of a huge indoor riding hall and offered to let us use it for training. Totally crazy – let's try something different, we thought, and accepted the offer with gratitude. First up on the training program was collecting the horse droppings… after that, however, we got going properly, but on unfamiliar ground. The children and we coaches all experienced an unforgettable final day of the holiday course in Austria under those exceptional circumstances.

What are your hopes for the year?  

I hope that we will get through these difficult times together, that we will stay positive and disciplined, just like the eight-year-old boy I mentioned earlier. I also hope that we can make many more kids happy and support them in their sporting career.