Ernst Middendorp (born 28 October 1958) is a German

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach who coaches

Cape Town Spurs A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

. Apart from coaching in Germany, Middendorp has coached football clubs in Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, China, Iran and Cyprus. He has also become the technical director for Thailand club Bangkok United in 2017.

Education

Middendorp was born in

Freren Freren () is a municipality in the Emsland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km east of Lingen. Freren is also the seat of the ''Samtgemeinde A (, ; plural: ''Samtgemeinden'') is a type of administrativ ...

. Prior to coaching he was a lecturer of economics, political science and informatics at vocational colleges . In 1996, he attained his UEFA Pro License (Fußball-Lehrer) from the Deutsche Sporthochschule in Köln, Germany. In 2000, he began studying communication and management at PR Kolleg Berlin, Germany, where he studied through 2002.

Managerial career

Middendorp has coached professional football on the highest level for nearly 20 years in Europe, Asia and Africa, having a UEFA Pro License (Fussball-Lehrer) from the German Football Association. In addition, Middendorp has experience analyzing FIFA World Cup tournaments (2006 and 2010), as well as the

UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th UEFA European Championship, European Championship for List of men's national association football teams#UEFA (Europe), men's ...

tournament. Middendorp started his coaching career with VfB Alstätte where he coached from July 1985 to June 1987. He then moved on to

Eintracht Nordhorn Eintracht Nordhorn was a German association football club from the city of Nordhorn, Lower Saxony. The club was founded in 1945 as ''Sportverein Nordhorn'' and adopted the name ''Eintracht Nordhorn'' in 1947. A separate football club known as ' ...

where he was head coach from 1 July 1987 to 18 April 1988.

Arminia Bielefeld

Middendorp's first stint as

Arminia Bielefeld DSC Arminia Bielefeld (; full name: ; commonly known as Arminia Bielefeld (), also known as ''Die Arminen'' or ''Die Blauen'' ), or just Arminia (), is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia is most well known as ...

head coach was from 18 April 1988 to 8 October 1990. His first match was a 2–1 loss to

SG Wattenscheid 09 SG Wattenscheid 09 is a Football in Germany, German association football club located in Wattenscheid, Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club claimed an official founding date of 18 September 1909 as Ballspiel-Verein Wattenscheid out of the me ...

. He finished the 1987–88 2. Bundesliga season with two wins, one draw, and seven losses. Arminia Bielefeld finished in last place and were relegated.

VfB Rheine

Middendorp went on to become head coach of

VfB Rheine FC Eintracht Rheine is a German association football club from the city of Rheine, North Rhine-Westphalia. History The club was formed through the 10 June 1994 union of ''VfB Rheine'' and ''SG Eintracht Rheine''. That merger actually shrouds ...

from November 1990 to June 1992. After VfB Rheine, Middendorp was head coach of

FC Gütersloh FC Gütersloh is a German association football club based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia. History The club was formed in 1978 out of the merger of the football sides of '' Sport Vereinigung Arminia Gütersloh'' and '' Deutsche Jugendk ...

between 1 July 1992 and 30 June 1994. He finished 13th in the 1992–93 season and ninth in the 1993–94 season.

second stint at Arminia Bielefeld

Middendorp took over as head coach of Arminia Bielefeld for a second time on 25 August 1994. He finished with a record of 40 wins, 26 draws, and 47 losses in his second stint. During his tenure, the club was promoted to the Bundesliga in 1996. In 2005, when Arminia Bielefeld was celebrating its 100th anniversary, Middendorp was elected their "Coach of the Century".

KFC Uerdingen

Middendorp was head coach of

KFC Uerdingen KFC Uerdingen 05 was a German football club in the Uerdingen district of the city of Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. The former Bundesliga side, which had its greatest successes in the 1980s, plays in the fourth-level Regionalliga. In 2025, t ...

from 25 March 1999 to 30 June 1999. He had five, two draws, and two losses in nine matches during his time at Uerdingen.

VfL Bochum

Middendorp was head coach of

VfL Bochum Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as VfL Bochum (), is a Football in Germany, German professional association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. They currently play ...

between 1 July 1999 and 25 October 1999. During his time at Bochum, he had a record of three wins, three draws, and five losses.

Asante Kotoko

Middendorp then went to

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

to become the head coach of

Asante Kotoko Asante Kotoko Sporting Club, simply known as Asante Kotoko, is a professional sports, professional association football, football club founded on 31 August 1935 and based in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Nicknamed the ''African crested ...

between January 2000 and June 2002.

FC Augsburg

Middendorp returned to Germany to become head coach of

FC Augsburg Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg (), is a Football in Germany, German professional football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. T ...

on 1 July 2002. He was at Augsburg until 28 September 2003. He had a record of 21 wins, eight draws, and 16 losses.

Hearts of Oak

Middendorp then returned to Ghana to become head coach of Hearts of Oak between March 2004 and June 2004.

Tractor Sazi

Middendorp then went to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

to become head coach of

Tractor Sazi Tractor Cultural Sports Club (, ''Bâšgâh-e Farhangi Varzeši-ye Terâktor''), commonly known as Tractor, formerly Tractor Sazi, is an Iranian professional football club based in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan, that competes in the Persian Gulf Pro ...

between July 2004 and June 2005.

Kaizer Chiefs

Middendorp returned to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

to become head coach the

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Castle Premiership The South African Premiership, also known as the Betway Premiership for sponsorship reasons, and commonly referred to as the PSL after its governing body, is a professional soccer league in South Africa and the highest level of the South Afric ...

team

Kaizer Chiefs Kaizer Chiefs Football Club (often known as Chiefs) is a South African professional football club based in Naturena, Johannesburg South, that plays in the Premiership. The team is nicknamed ''AmaKhosi'', which means "Kings" or "Chiefs" in Zu ...

from the beginning of the 2005–06 season up to 4 March 2007. His first match was a 1–0 win against Bush Bucks F.C. At the start of the 2006–07 season, Middendorp guided his team to the

SAA Supa 8 The MTN 8 is a South African soccer cup competition launched in 1972 for teams who finished in the top 8 positions of the league table of the country's preceding season of the top-flight league (currently the Premiership). The winners receive ...

trophy. The Kaizer Chiefs defeated

Supersport United SuperSport United Football Club (often known as SuperSport) is a South African professional association football, football club based in Atteridgeville in Pretoria in the Gauteng province. The team currently plays in the South African Premier Di ...

in the final. Middendorp's departure happened on 4 March 2007. His final match was a 2–1 loss to

AmaZulu Zulu people (; ) are a native people of Southern Africa of the Nguni people, Nguni. The Zulu people are the largest Ethnic groups in South Africa, ethnic group and nation in South Africa, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. They o ...

Third stint at Arminia Bielefeld

On 14 March 2007, Middendorp started his third stint as a coach at Arminia Bielefeld, but was fired by club management on 10 December 2007.

Changchun Yatai

From there Middendorp went to coach the Chinese club,

Changchun Yatai Changchun Yatai Football Club () is a Chinese professional football club based in Changchun, Jilin, that competes in . Changchun Yatai plays its home matches at the Changchun Stadium, located within Nanguan District. The club's founder and main ...

, but left the club in December 2008

Rot Weiss Essen

Middendorp returned to Germany, where he signed a contract with Rot Weiss Essen On 6 April 2009, he left the team after just 29 days. He had won only one match during his 29 days.

Anorthosis Famagusta

On 7 May 2009, Middendorp joined Cypriot club,

Anorthosis Famagusta Anorthosis Famagusta (), commonly known as Anorthosis in English or Anorthosi in Greek, is a Cypriot football club, part of the Famagusta multi-sport club founded in 1911 in Varosha, Famagusta.

, but was fired on 24 July 2009 following their elimination in the second round of the

2009–10 UEFA Europa League The 2009–10 UEFA Europa League was the first season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA. The competition was previously known as the UEFA Cup, which had been in existence for 38 years. Spai ...

Maritzburg United

On 16 November 2009, Middendorp replaced

Gordon Igesund Gordon Igesund (born 22 July 1956) is a former South African football player and coach who was most recently the manager of Highlands Park in the Premier Soccer League. Early life Igesund was born in Durban to George Norman Igesund (born 193 ...

as head coach of South African club Maritzburg United, and coach them until 12 March 2011. He won five out of the final 15 league matches. His final match was a 2–2 draw against

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama ( , ; – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and nobleman who was the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India, first European to reach India by sea. Da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499) was the first to link ...

on 5 March 2011.

Golden Arrows

Middendorp was head coach of

Golden Arrows Lamontville Golden Arrows F.C. are a South African soccer club based in Durban that plays in the Premiership. History It was founded in 1943 in the streets of Lamontville, a township in Durban. The club played in the defunct National Profes ...

between 21 March 2011 and 30 September 2011. Golden Arrows won two out of five matches to finish the 2010–11 season. His final match was a 2–1 win against Kaizer Chiefs. On 18 January 2012, Middendorp returned to Maritzburg United. He resigned as head coach of Maritzburg United on 10 October 2013 before joining

Bloemfontein Celtic Bloemfontein Celtic Football Club (simply known as Celtic) is a South African soccer club based in Bloemfontein. Bloemfontein Celtic had a large fan base in the Free State and competed in the Premiership before selling their status to Royal ...

as head coach on 11 October 2013. Celtic finished off the 2013–14 season with nine wins in 24 league matches. He left the club on 14 December 2014. His final match was a 0–0 draw against

Moroka Swallows Moroka Swallows Football Club (often referred to as Swallows or The Birds) is a South African professional football club based in Soweto, Johannesburg, in the Gauteng province. Founded in 1947, Swallows are one of the original two Soweto clubs ...

on the same day. He coached the Eastern Province SA Premier League team

Chippa United Chippa United Football Club (often known as Chilli boys or Chippa) is a South African professional football club based in East London in the Eastern Cape province, having previously been based in Nyanga suburb of the city of Cape Town. The club ...

from 5 January to 30 March 2015. Middendorp didn't win any matches at Chippa United. In the 2015–16 season Ernst led not one but two South African Premier League teams from the relegation position to safety. He took

Free State Stars Free State Stars Football club was a South African professional soccer club based in Bethlehem, Free State that played in the National First Division. Formerly known as Makwane Computer Stars, Fairway Stars and Qwa Qwa Stars, their most signi ...

from position 16 at the bottom of the league on matchday three to position six within four months, averaging two points a game. On 28 December 2015, Ernst returned to Maritzburg United (a club he coached twice before) who were then in position 16 and facing the stark danger of relegating. Ernst and his team narrowed the gap until the final nail-biting game of the season when Maritzburg United moved to the safety of position 14. Middendorp returned to Kaizer Chiefs on 7 December 2018. His first match was a 1–0 win against

SuperSport United SuperSport United Football Club (often known as SuperSport) is a South African professional association football, football club based in Atteridgeville in Pretoria in the Gauteng province. The team currently plays in the South African Premier Di ...

on 12 December 2018. Kaizer Chiefs finished the 2018–19 season in ninth place. Kaizer Chiefs finished the following season in 2nd place and qualified for the

2020–21 CAF Champions League The 2020–21 CAF Champions League (officially the 2020–21 Total CAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons) was the 57th edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 25th ...

. Then he coached

Saint George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

between 23 October 2020 and 24 November 2020. Middendorp returned to Maritzburg United on 26 November 2020. his first match was a 2–1 loss to SuperSport United on 27 November 2020. He has been the mentor of

Fadlu Davids Fadluraghman "Fadlu" Davids (born 21 May 1981 in Cape Town, Western Cape) is a retired South African football (soccer) striker who is a Head Coach for Tanzanian Premier league club Simba. He was twice the highest goal scorer in the South Afric ...

, who spent much of his time learning the coaching trade as assistant coach to Middendorp: at Maritzburg, Bloemfontein Celtic and Chippa United. In March 2023, Middendorp returned to Germany to manage

SV Meppen SV Meppen is a German association football club playing in Meppen, Lower Saxony. The club was founded on 29 November 1912 as ''Amisia Meppen'' and joined ''Männer-Turnverein Meppen'' on 8 February 1920 to form ''TuS Meppen 1912''. The football ...

. On 16 August 2023, he resigned from this position after being relegated to the

Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord () is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regionalliga Bayern, Regionalliga N ...

and suffering two defeats in the first three games of the 2023–24 season. In September 2023, Middendorp was appointed as the head coach of Tanzanian Singida Fountain Gate replacing

Hans van der Pluijm Hans van der Pluijm (born 3 January 1949) is a Dutch football coach and former player who coaches Singida BS. in Tanzania. Playing career A former goalkeeper, he played almost 20 years for Den Bosch between 1967 and 1986. He made 66 Eredivisie ...

. He resigned after just two weeks and one game, a 1–0 win over

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ex ...

in the 2023–24 CAF Confederation Cup qualifying rounds, due to disputes with the club management. He was appointed manager of South African premiership club

in November 2023.

Coaching record

References

External links

* *
''Resilience: The Ernst Middendorp Authorised Biography'' official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Middendorp, Ernst German football managers German men's footballers Living people Expatriate football managers in China 1958 births KFC Uerdingen 05 managers VfL Bochum managers FC Augsburg managers Kaizer Chiefs F.C. managers Arminia Bielefeld managers Changchun Yatai F.C. managers Rot-Weiss Essen managers Anorthosis Famagusta FC managers Lamontville Golden Arrows F.C. managers Saint George S.C. managers Durban City F.C. (2024) managers FC Gütersloh managers Tractor S.C. managers Men's association football players not categorized by position Accra Hearts of Oak S.C. managers Asante Kotoko S.C. managers People from Emsland Footballers from Lower Saxony Bielefeld University alumni Expatriate football managers in Ghana German expatriate football managers German expatriate sportspeople in Ghana Expatriate football managers in Iran German expatriate sportspeople in Iran Expatriate soccer managers in South Africa German expatriate sportspeople in South Africa German expatriate sportspeople in China Expatriate football managers in Cyprus German expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Bloemfontein Celtic F.C. managers Chippa United F.C. managers SV Meppen managers German expatriate sportspeople in Ethiopia Expatriate football managers in Ethiopia Ethiopian Premier League managers Persian Gulf Pro League managers West German men's footballers West German football managers 3. Liga managers Bundesliga managers 2. Bundesliga managers Chinese Super League managers