Arminia BielefeldTeam·Arminia Bielefeld has announced the appointment of Oliver Kirch as the club's new head coach, effective for the start of the 2026/27 season. Kirch, 43, returns to the club where he made 77 appearances as a player between 2007 and 2010, taking over from Mitch KniatCoach·Mitch Kniat.
Kniat's departure on May 23, 2026, was by mutual agreement after three years at the helm. His tenure included guiding Arminia BielefeldTeam·Arminia Bielefeld back to the 2. Bundesliga and an impressive run to the DFB Cup final in 2025. In his final season, Kniat successfully navigated the club through a relegation battle, securing their league place in the 2. Bundesliga.
Oliver Kirch joins Arminia BielefeldTeam·Arminia Bielefeld from Borussia Mönchengladbach's reserves, where he has been developing his coaching career. This new role represents his first head coaching position in professional football, a significant step for the former midfielder.
Michael Mutzel, Arminia BielefeldTeam·Arminia Bielefeld's Managing Director, expressed confidence in the new appointment. "I'm delighted that we've been able to bring in Oliver and convince him of our path. Our goal wasn't to find the quickest but the correct solution. Our talks showed that he stands for brave, intense and attacking football, while he has already proven in his coaching career that he can develop young players at a high level." — Michael Mutzel.
Kirch himself conveyed enthusiasm for the challenge ahead. "After the talks with Michael, it was immediately clear to me that I want to take the next step in my career at Arminia BielefeldTeam·Arminia Bielefeld. We have a similar approach to football and want to stabilise the team in BundesligaCompetition·Bundesliga 2. Arminia has developed in a really positive way. I now want to build on that at my former club." — Oliver Kirch.
The 2025/26 season saw Arminia BielefeldTeam·Arminia Bielefeld finish in 13th place in the 2. Bundesliga, recording 10 wins, 9 draws, and 15 losses from 34 matches, accumulating 39 points. The team's overall form was described as poor, with a win rate of 29%. While their home performance was average with seven wins, five draws, and five losses, their away form proved challenging, yielding only three wins, four draws, and ten losses. The team scored 53 goals and conceded 51, with Joel Grodowski leading the scoring charts with 12 goals and Tim-Henry HandwerkerPlayer·Tim-Henry Handwerker providing 7 assists.
Arminia BielefeldTeam·Arminia Bielefeld secured their league survival with a decisive 6-1 victory over Hertha BSCTeam·Hertha BSC in their final match of the season on May 17. This crucial result followed a mixed run of form, including a 2-0 loss to Kaiserslautern, a 1-1 draw with BochumTeam·Bochum, a 3-2 win against Preußen MünsterTeam·Preußen Münster, and a 1-1 draw with NürnbergTeam·Nürnberg in the preceding weeks.
Kirch's primary objective will be to build on the club's recent positive developments and solidify their position in the 2. Bundesliga. His first competitive match in charge is scheduled for the weekend of August 7-9, 2026, when the 2026/27 campaign officially commences, with fixtures to be announced on July 2.
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