Fritzy Kromp: The women's fighting pioneer at Werder Bremen

Fritzy Kromp: The women's fighting pioneer at Werder Bremen

A lot has happened in the world of women's football since July 2023. Friederike Kromp, known to many as “Fritzy”, is now the head coach of the Werder Bremen women’s team. Born on January 2, 1985 in Würzburg, she quickly earned a place at the top of German football. However, her career began not only on the pitch, but also with a passion for sports that was awakened in her childhood. Although her family wasn't very fond of football, she was the only girl to play for the Bambinis at TSV Eisingen. However, an unfortunate broken ankle during a screening game for the national team put an early end to her playing career.

But instead of giving up, Kromp turns her injuries into motivation. After a voluntary social year with the Bavarian Football Association, in which she took her first steps into the world of coaching, she studied sports science in Munich. From then on it went steeply uphill. Kromp was the youngest graduate of the “DFB Football Teacher”, which paved her way to the UEFA Pro license, which is only available to a few women. Loud Brementwo She also worked as an expert for the ZDF broadcasts of the 2022 Men's World Cup and the 2024 European Championship, which strengthened her position in sport.

The trainer and her philosophy

Kromp's philosophy as a trainer is characterized by an empathetic coaching style, which she admires Pia Sundhage emulates. This type of training sets a contrast to the often rigid German coaching method. At Werder Bremen, she values ​​a dominant style of play and a more relaxed approach to her players, which is well received by the team.

The challenges Kromp had to overcome in her career were not just physical. During her training to become a trainer, she often got into heated discussions with male participants. She not only learned her craft, but also always campaigned for equality in football. Kromp criticizes the male-dominated structure in this sport and the unequal opportunities that women often find.

Successes and challenges

A look at their successes speaks for itself. Kromp led the U17 junior national team to the European Championships four times and was also active as an assistant coach before becoming the head coach of the U17 women from 2019 to 2023. With her efforts, the team won the title again in 2022. Her path shows that she has a good knack for developing young talent. She is currently also responsible for the U16 juniors and has always shown commitment to the German Football Association (DFB).

Her path to UEFA's highest coaching license and the challenges associated with it are part of a larger trend in German football. The training system, which is divided into different levels, forces trainers in all age groups to develop in a specialized manner, which formed a valuable basis for Kromp. This is important in order to increase the quality of women's football as a whole, in the sense of a change from "football teacher" to "player developer", as is also the case DFB describes.

The future looks promising for Fritzy Kromp. In addition to her main job as a coach at Werder Bremen, she is passionate about changing and promoting women's football. How much potential there is in a talented trainer like Fritzy will become clear in the coming years. One thing is certain: her career is being followed closely in northern Germany and beyond the city limits.