André Henning

Head Coach of the German Men's National Field Hockey Team

André Henning

Head Coach of the German Men's National Field Hockey Team

André Henning is head coach of the German men's national field hockey team, with whom he has become world champion in January 2023. André Henning has not only ensured the long-awaited triumph, but has also sparked a new enthusiasm for field hockey. Henning took over the German national team as number five in the world just eleven months before the World Cup and, together with his team, directly ensured the first title win in over ten years. Particularly remarkable: In the years before, the team was always considered highly talented, but failed in the deciding games. At the 2023 World Cup, Henning's team won the knockout games despite being down 0:2 three times in a row with almost no chance of winning. Within a year, the Germans have become the mentally strongest team in the world. André Henning (*1983) himself played in the 1st Bundesliga and for the German U18 national team before having to end his career early due to a knee injury. Parallel to his law studies at the Ruhr University in Bochum, he began his successful career as a field hockey coach. First with the youth teams of Uhlenhorst Mülheim, before he took over the men's team in 2007 in the middle of the relegation battle. With only 23 years of age, this made him the youngest head coach of a Bundesliga team - a large part of the team is older than the coach. The German record champion Mülheim returned to the national top under Henning and reached the final of the German championship again for the first time in 2011. After two runner-up finishes, the Mülheim team became German champions in 2014. After seven years in Mülheim, André Henning moved to Club an der Alster Hamburg in a new role as sporting director and as co-coach of the Bundesliga team, before taking over as head coach and sporting director of Bundesliga field hockey club Rot-Weiss Köln in 2015. Within just 18 months, the Cologne team wins all the titles there are to be won in international field hockey: German champion on the field and indoor, as well as European Cup winner on the field and indoor. In particular, the triumph in the Euro Hockey League (the Champions League in field hockey) marked the greatest success in the club history of RW Köln. Further championships follow until Henning is appointed to the German national team in 2022. Before that, André Henning was already involved with the German Hockey Federation and won numerous titles here as well: in 2013, he became world champion with the U21 national team and in 2015 he became European champion with the U18 national team. In 2016, he was part of the coaching team of the German national women's field hockey team at the Olympic Games in Rio, which sensationally won bronze - as number ten in the world. In 2019, as co-trainer of three-time gold medal winner Markus Weise, he was partly responsible for the Olympic qualification of the national field hockey team. André Henning's lectures are both educational and captivating. He provides deep insights into his work and impressively demonstrates how to form, lead and motivate a team. André Henning's motto is "Every team is smarter than its leadership". He shows how he consistently breaks down the traditional hierarchies as well as ways of thinking in sports and modernizes the leadership in team and staff. He explains why his team sometimes has to buy its own mineral water for the game and why precisely this makes a decisive contribution to World Cup success, as does celebrating small successes and dealing with crises in an agile manner.

About André Henning

André Henning is head coach of the German men's national field hockey team, with whom he has become world champion in January 2023. André Henning has not only ensured the long-awaited triumph, but has also sparked a new enthusiasm for field hockey.



Henning took over the German national team as number five in the world just eleven months before the World Cup and, together with his team, directly ensured the first title win in over ten years. Particularly remarkable: In the years before, the team was always considered highly talented, but failed in the deciding games. At the 2023 World Cup, Henning's team won the knockout games despite being down 0:2 three times in a row with almost no chance of winning. Within a year, the Germans have become the mentally strongest team in the world.



André Henning (*1983) himself played in the 1st Bundesliga and for the German U18 national team before having to end his career early due to a knee injury. Parallel to his law studies at the Ruhr University in Bochum, he began his successful career as a field hockey coach. First with the youth teams of Uhlenhorst Mülheim, before he took over the men's team in 2007 in the middle of the relegation battle. With only 23 years of age, this made him the youngest head coach of a Bundesliga team - a large part of the team is older than the coach. The German record champion Mülheim returned to the national top under Henning and reached the final of the German championship again for the first time in 2011. After two runner-up finishes, the Mülheim team became German champions in 2014. After seven years in Mülheim, André Henning moved to Club an der Alster Hamburg in a new role as sporting director and as co-coach of the Bundesliga team, before taking over as head coach and sporting director of Bundesliga field hockey club Rot-Weiss Köln in 2015. Within just 18 months, the Cologne team wins all the titles there are to be won in international field hockey: German champion on the field and indoor, as well as European Cup winner on the field and indoor. In particular, the triumph in the Euro Hockey League (the Champions League in field hockey) marked the greatest success in the club history of RW Köln. Further championships follow until Henning is appointed to the German national team in 2022. Before that, André Henning was already involved with the German Hockey Federation and won numerous titles here as well: in 2013, he became world champion with the U21 national team and in 2015 he became European champion with the U18 national team. In 2016, he was part of the coaching team of the German national women's field hockey team at the Olympic Games in Rio, which sensationally won bronze - as number ten in the world. In 2019, as co-trainer of three-time gold medal winner Markus Weise, he was partly responsible for the Olympic qualification of the national field hockey team.

André Henning's lectures are both educational and captivating. He provides deep insights into his work and impressively demonstrates how to form, lead and motivate a team. André Henning's motto is "Every team is smarter than its leadership".

He shows how he consistently breaks down the traditional hierarchies as well as ways of thinking in sports and modernizes the leadership in team and staff. He explains why his team sometimes has to buy its own mineral water for the game and why precisely this makes a decisive contribution to World Cup success, as does celebrating small successes and dealing with crises in an agile manner.