Dennis Galleski has extended his contract, which was set to expire this summer, and will remain with us as head coach for the 2024/2025 season! After gaining extensive coaching experience in the youth sector at the DFB training centre in Köpenick and with the Berlin Football Association, the 28-year-old took over the team last summer. Now, after his debut season, the Berlin native has big plans.
In a conversation with co-founder Felicia Mutterer, he talks about his motivations, the differences for him as a coach between women’s and men’s football, and the upcoming cup final against Union Berlin on May 19th.
Credit: Kai Heuser @heuserkampf
You extended your contract with FC Viktoria Berlin for another year. Why?
D | When I first entered talks here a year ago, I immediately felt that this vision—focused on the goal of leading this team to the Bundesliga—was absolutely bursting with energy. The people involved had so many ideas. I felt that, based on my previous experience in football, I could contribute something that would really support this path.
In combination with the founders, all the players who were already here, and the new ones who have joined, as well as everyone working around this project, there has been and still is incredible energy. I felt it from the start, and I had the sense that I could make a difference here, contribute something, and help support the goal of making the journey into professional football.
As a competitive athlete, that’s what I want: a vision, a goal, and the privilege of feeling the pressure that comes with it. Because you only feel pressure if you have goals and put yourself in a situation where you can achieve them. Feeling that pressure and energy was the key reason I started here last year, and also why, after this season, I turned down other offers. I’m staying for another year because our big goal next season is promotion to the second division, and I’m confident that we’ll achieve it.
Before his coaching career, Dennis played for FC Viktoria Berlin and mostly worked with male players.
Credit: Kai Heuser @heuserkampf
What differences do you feel when working with female players compared to male players?
D | Generally, I’ve noticed that female players have a much higher willingness to learn. Much more needs to be explained, even in detail. The players want to be more involved in the process, for example, in understanding the tactical approach. This presents a different challenge for me as a coach because I need to be much better at explaining my ideas. I can’t just rely on the authority of my position and say, "This is how we’re doing it." It’s more about how well I can present things, explain them on the training pitch, and incorporate them into the sessions. The players need to feel, "Okay, if I do it this way, this is the reason why I’m developing in this way." So, the ‘why’ behind the actions is much more pronounced with female players.
There’s also much more communication on and off the pitch. This can be challenging for coaches who focus more on just giving instructions about what needs to be done.
"Here, it’s more of an exchange, with opportunities to develop certain things, and I find both aspects very exciting."
Credit: Kai Heuser @heuserkampf
Otherwise, the athletic component is probably the biggest difference. Although, recently, we’ve also seen that the intensity in women’s football is increasing and will continue to do so, such as the number of high-intensity runs. The sports science support in women’s football is also becoming more intense, with more video analysts and tracking systems being used. Everything is becoming more professional, and I believe we’ll see significant developments in the coming years.
The athletic differences are still present, which currently affects certain aspects like the playing system or how the game is continued. For example, if I notice that a goalkeeper, due to height differences compared to male goalkeepers, plays in a different position when managing the penalty area, I might instruct long-distance shots to increase our chances of scoring. Or, set-pieces are sometimes executed differently than in men’s football because heading is often impacted by the generally shorter height of the players. We’re lucky to have a team that’s very strong in aerial duels, so set-pieces are always a good opportunity for us to score. We also have players with great speed potential, which can be an advantage against opponents with a deficit in that area. These are just a few details that show how the athletic differences can be incorporated into the match plan, which makes it all the more interesting.
Currently, these athletic differences are even more pronounced in our women’s regional league compared to the men’s regional league. But this will all even out and develop, and I’m excited about it. I also believe that football is in a process that challenges both coaches and players to adapt, evaluate new ideas, and continuously improve.
The Berlin Cup is still on the agenda this season. We’ll play the final on May 19th against Union Berlin, who finished well ahead of us in the league. How do you assess the fact that we are so far behind Union in the league? And what can we expect in the final?
D I Well, our season has been successful, despite being behind Union. We are 13 points ahead of third place, with only Union ahead of us. They are the only team that managed to beat us twice this season, which is unfortunate. So, I hope we can make up for it in the most important game against them in the cup final.
But overall, the team has done an outstanding job this year. For the first time in our history, we made it to the DFB-Pokal Round of 16. I hope we can go even further next year, maybe facing teams like Bayern or Wolfsburg. We’ve also been dominant in the league, though unfortunately still behind Union. However, it’s important to note that their budget has been a significant factor. They have the infrastructure of a fully professional team and can train seven times a week. We’re not there yet, but that’s where we want to be.
As an athlete, I can accept that they have more resources, but in a cup final, anything is possible. We have nothing to lose in this game. We see the pressure as a great privilege because we’re playing in a final. So, both the team and I will give everything to make sure we have an incredible football day, hopefully with the best possible outcome for us—or at least a fantastic football match that everyone will fondly remember.
We’re really looking forward to this highlight and, of course, to continuing our collaboration in the new season!
The entire interview with Dennis can now be heard in the new podcast episode of the Sportsidols media show.
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