Christian Dobrick, U19 coach at Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli, has publicly come out as gay. He is the first trainer from a Bundesliga club's staff to do so. Dobrick advises gay players and coaches to embrace openness.
Christian Dobrick, 29, has been working in FC St. Pauli's youth setup since summer 2025. He previously coached at RB Salzburg, TSG Hoffenheim, and Holstein Kiel. In interviews with RTL and Stern magazine, he stated that gay people in professional football are still seen as 'aliens.' 'Certainly not a one-off case,' he emphasized about his own situation. An encounter with Jürgen Klopp inspired him: 'You can be whatever kind of coach you want, but you have to stand for something. You have to be yourself,' the former coach reportedly said. Dobrick highlighted entrenched homophobia: 'If a player complains about excessive roughness, he's quickly called a faggot.' For years, he hid his orientation at work through 'verbal acrobatics' and a 'rhetorical egg dance.' His advice to others: 'Jump into the cold water and swim!' FC St. Pauli president Oke Göttlich assured Dobrick of personal support, the club stated. Dobrick suspects fewer gay professionals than in the general population due to pressure to lead a heteronormative life.
