AB’s new owners extend head coach Patrick Braune
Successful head coach Patrick Braune has signed a new contract with the club he has always coached at. The contract runs until the summer of 2026. Assistant coach Stefan Larsen moves from part-time to become a full-time coach at the club on a contract that expires at the same time as his head coach. AB extends with the head coach of the club’s first team, which winters in third place in the 2nd division. Head coach Patrick Braune has signed a new contract that runs until the summer of 2026 with the club he has always coached at. This is the first major sporting decision made by the club’s new owners Five Castles Football Group LLC (FCFG) since FCFG became the new majority shareholder on November 28. “It has become clear to us over the past six months of researching AB as an investment that Patrick Braune is a great coaching talent who is a perfect fit for AB. He has worked in an exemplary way with the squad and has taken far greater responsibility for the entire club than you normally see from a head coach. Therefore, we had no doubt that an extension with Braune was one of the first things we had to do when we took over the majority shareholding in AB,” says AB’s new CEO, Erik Stover. 34-year-old Braune began his coaching career as a boys’ coach at AB in 2001. Since then, he has held almost every position in the club’s sports department. Braune was youth coach and head of talent before being appointed to the senior team as assistant coach in 2016. Three years ago, Patrick Braune was hired as head coach of AB’s first team, which like today was in the 2nd division. “It’s hard to explain what AB means to me, but it’s my heart club. I’m therefore very happy to extend my contract, and I see great opportunities to develop the squad, which is what I’m passionate about. That’s why I had no doubt that I wanted to commit myself further to AB when I got the opportunity,” says Patrick Braune. In his time as head coach, Braune has both stabilized the team and developed the players and the team’s style of play. He looks forward to continuing this. “The new owners give us the opportunity to professionalize both the team and everything around it, and there are real perspectives in that. It’s exciting with the new ownership, and I also see the extension as a signal of respect and trust in the existing coaching staff.” In addition to the extension with Braune, assistant coach Stefan Larsen has also been given a new contract. He goes from being a part-time coach to a full-time employee at AB. The club is thus professionalizing its coaching team. “It has been important for us to create an even more professional environment around the first team squad, optimizing the conditions for both training and matches. It’s a step towards creating the framework we want at AB,” says Erik Stover. For further comments and interview contact: Troels Henriksen Communications Consultant Akademisk Boldklub Gladsaxe Tel. 23699186
