Former Ferns coach Andreas Heraf heading for promotion with Austrian club

Former Football Ferns coach Andreas Heraf has re-ignited his football career with an Austrian third-tier club that’s seeking a licence to play in the country’s Bundesliga second division.

Heraf (55) was forced to register as unemployed last year after the financial collapse of third division German club Türkgücü München, where he had been head coach.

But this year, he has taken over as head coach at Austrian semi-professional regional club Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz who he has led to the top of their competition, with a seven-point lead and a game in hand over their nearest rivals after 19 games.

With the title a strong possibility, the club has applied for a Bundesliga licence, with plans to upgrade their Immoagentur Stadium with grandstand improvements and a new floodlighting system.

As excitement builds in the town of Bregenz, which is the state capital of Vorarlberg, Heraf is managing expectations ahead of promotion play-offs.

Main photo: Andreas Heraf appears on Austrian television to talk about his club’s promotion push.

Appearing on television, he said: “Everyone sees us already in the 2nd league.

“But the truth is that every game in the playoffs will be a final.

“Of course, we set ourselves the goal of promotion.”

Heraf returned to Europe in 2018 after a short stint in New Zealand, where he coached the Football Ferns until his resignation after complaints against him.

Heraf was appointed manager at third division Türkgücü München in December 2021, but the club was declared insolvent, leaving a trail of debt and unpaid staff and players.

In early 2023, the ethics committee of the Austrian Bundesliga began an investigation into allegations against the president of Austria’s national football body, Gerhard Milletich. The allegations included the nature of Heraf’s employment at a club run by Milletich in 2007.

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