Peter Knäbel named new Board Member for Sport and Communication

„Peter Knäbel’s work is defined by strategic thinking and a clear hallmark. He has not only proven this during his three years as technical director for academy and development, but also over the last few weeks since taking on general sporting responsibilities for the club,“ said Dr. Jens Buchta, chairman of Schalke’s supervisory body. „We have full faith in him and trust that he will successfully lead the rebuilding of our first team. At this point I would also like to thank the other members of the squad planning task force, Norbert Elgert and Mathias Schober, who – alongside their usual duties – have contributed a great deal to the plans made for the Bundesliga 2 so far.“

Knäbel is looking forward to his now permanent role: „During my three years at Schalke, I’ve got to know the club extremely well and I know what motivates and drives the employees here, both within the first team sphere and elsewhere. We have a responsibility towards them, just as we do towards our 150,000+ members and our countless fans. My team and I want to join forces and do everything we can to build the foundations for a successful future at Schalke 04. We have already taken the first important steps on this road in recent weeks.“

The Witten-born ex pro has an impressive resume in football. As a player he made over 100 appearances in Germany’s top two divisions for VfL Bochum, FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Nürnberg among others. Since retiring, he has worked as Hamburger SV’s director of football and as technical director for 20-times Swiss champions FC Basel and for the Swiss football association (SFV), where he was primarily involved in developing successful youth development strategies.