André Henning
Coach of Germany’s men's national hockey team - world champion
André Henning has been the coach in charge of the German men's national hockey team (nicknamed ‘Honamas’) since January 2022. He won the silver medal with the team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris (1:3 in the final after a penalty shoot-out against the Netherlands) and the world title in January 2023 in the final in hockey-mad Bhubaneswar, India, beating the defending champions Belgium 5:4 on penalties (Henning: ‘Hollywoodreif’). The law graduate and long-time journalist is innovative, articulate and incredibly enthusiastic on the touchline. He has also worked as an independent consultant and coach since 2012.
He took over the German Hockey Federation selection - actually one of the most successful teams in the world, but at the time without winning a title for several years - with the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 as his goal. Germany's third World Cup title has already given this concept a powerful highlight in advance, and the subsequent fourth place at the European Championships in his own country was not really a setback given the international performance density. Henning is regarded as an absolute all-round package at world-class level and is one of the most high-profile coaches in Europe.
For more than six years, he worked for the Cologne law firm ‘Seitz Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater’ (Head Of Communication, Managing Director Talents), which has a global network, and the Chinese Field Hockey Association (2017 - 2018, Consultant, Beijing), and was also a freelance journalist (1999 - 2015) at Funke Mediengruppe in Essen. He studied at the Ruhr University in Bochum from 2003 to 2009. Henning (‘Every team is more intelligent than its leadership’) was Head Coach at KTHC Rot-Weiss Köln (2015 - 2022), coached the Canadian men's team at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo during this time and was ‘Co’ of the German men's national team during the Tokyo qualifiers in 2019. He was assistant coach of the women's national team (2014 - 2016, Olympic bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro 2016), national coach of the male U18 (2012 - 2015, European champion 2015) and the male U21 (2013 - world champion 2013 in Dehli), sports director in Hamburg at Club an der Alster (2014 - 2015) and head coach at the German record champion HTC Uhlenhorst Mülheim (2007 - 2014) at the age of just 23.
Henning always has good ideas, grasps complex play and situations, is tactically outstanding and a real motivator, he works innovatively, conveys smartness and emphasises speed as a basic element. He does not want to implement a Henning style, players characterise the style of the national team. Which doesn't mean that everything is grassroots democratic. His credo is that open feedback processes are the best way to mould teams. He sees his task as head coach as moulding players as personalities, developing them further and thus making them better.
Hockey is the most successful ball sport in Germany - fast-paced, spectacular, fair and exciting. It is fascinating when a ball is placed on goal at 120 kilometres per hour and the keeper successfully fends it off, when the ball is played with the stick in the air while dribbling, there are tactical changes every minute and highly specialised set-piece situations.
He was a youth international before a knee injury forced him to end his career early. He won five German championship titles and two European Cup titles at club level. The DHB has the so-called Next Coach System, in which all coaches exchange ideas and strengths are worked out. Henning brings tremendous quality in the areas of team leadership and hockey expertise to the starting line-up - and delivers. ‘If I wasn't the coach of this team, I'd be their biggest fan.’
His presentation languages are German and English.