During their recent visit to Austin, Texas, coaches from the VfB football school were supported by none other than VfB decathlete and Olympic silver medal winner Leo Neugebauer, who was able to offer the young sports enthusiasts some useful tips. The 24-year-old also made an appearance at the watch party for VfB’s Bundesliga home game against Bayer Leverkusen on 16 March.
From patterns of play and shooting and passing techniques to positional exercises, kids attending VfB camps are introduced to football through fun and games, fuelling their enthusiasm for the sport. It was no different in the city of Manor near Austin, Texas, where the football school recently spent eight days coaching 45 girls and boys between the ages of eight and 16. After being split into a younger and an older group, the kids took part in a two-hour session which focused on a number of different areas.
The camp in Austin wasn’t VfB’s first project in Texas. Following the first team’s visit to Austin in autumn 2022, the football school held its first camps in the USA last year – and more are planned for later in 2025. These courses for children and coaches, led by highly qualified VfB youth coaches, are a core element of VfB’s global strategy. The objective is for both the club and the German Football League (DFL) to establish relationships in key target markets around the world. With a view to the upcoming 2026 World Cup, the USA is of particular interest as it offers great potential in several areas of youth development and club activation.
On this occasion, the coaching team was supported by Olympic silver medallist Neugebauer, who represents VfB’s track and field athletics team and continues to train in Austin after finishing his studies at the University of Texas. On one of the eight days, Neugebauer led the kids through a 40-minute warm-up session and offered them useful tips on improving their acceleration and final speed. Afterwards, he answered a number of interesting questions the kids had prepared for him.