Ex-football star appointed as HSV club director

Although recent VELUX EHF Champions League winners HSV Hamburg have had a connection to the HSV football club for a number of years, it was a surprise when their new club director, Frank Rost, was announced.

Rost was the former goalkeeper of the HSV football team and had been coach of the HSV women’s football team until his latest appointment with the handball club.

Despite his career in football, Rost is well connected to this sport, as his mother and father had been handball players.

His father Peter was an Olympic champion with the former German Democratic Republic in 1980 and silver medalist at the 1974 World Championship, before he became a successful handball coach.

Plenty of work ahead

39-year-old Rost played for the German Bundesliga football clubs Werder Bremen and Schalke 04 before joining Hamburg and has four international matches for Germany to his name.

After he had finished his career in Germany, he transferred to USA to play for the New York Red Bulls, before announcing his retirement last year.

Rost will be the club director together with Christoph Wendt, who was in charge before, meaning that Martin Schwalb (coach) and Matthias Rudolph (president) will give-up their positions as directors.

“I come from a handball family, so I am used to this sport. Like football, it is a professional sport and to be part of the Champions League winner means a great challenge to me.

“First I need to get an overview of my tasks, but I believe there is plenty of work ahead for me,” Rost said at his presentation by the club.

New challenges

Thanks to his in-depth knowledge of professional football, he sees the challenges ahead for handball in Hamburg.

“Football marketing is a fast-selling item, but in handball you need new ideas and concepts and have to integrate the younger generations more to get some identification.

“In a city like Hamburg handball needs to be a real brand, especially after all the success of our club, but currently only insiders know about handball in Hamburg, so we have to inspire more and more people and go innovative ways of marketing and promotion,” explained Rost.

Christoph Wendt is delighted about the arrival of his new colleague

“We have so many different tasks to cover and since Martin Schwalb became coach again, he did not have enough time for his director’s job.

“Now he can fully focus on the team, while Frank and I can reach out for our goals together on our level.”

Photo credit: Michael Freitag