Frank Schmidt Leaves Heidenheim: An Era Ends After Almost 20 Years

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Frank Schmidt Leaves Heidenheim: An Era Ends After Almost 20 Years.

On Tuesday evening, 3 November 2026, 1. FC Heidenheim announced that Frank Schmidt would leave the club at the end of the season. For the 52-year-old coach, this marks the end of a relationship that began as an interim takeover in September 2007 and later became a permanent head-coach role.

This brings to an end the longest managerial era in German professional football. Schmidt is the league's longest-serving coach and has led Heidenheim from the fourth tier to the Bundesliga and the Conference League during that time. The Heidenheim team currently sits in sixth place in the 2. Bundesliga.

Why Schmidt Rejected a Contract Extension

A deliberate decision to create more planning certainty

The club had made intensive efforts over the past few months to give Schmidt another contract. He said in a club press release that this commitment had impressed him. Nevertheless, he explained, over the past few weeks he had reached a decision — “also with regard to FCH's ability to plan.”

Schmidt personally informed Holger Sanwald, Heidenheim's chairman, of his decision on Monday. His expiring contract therefore will not be extended. Schmidt had already suggested the end of his coaching career earlier in the spring and had described the season at the time as his “presumed” last.

This is the strongest argument against the idea of a sudden rupture: the departure was not a surprising decision made without warning. At that point, however, Schmidt had not yet explained how long his break would last or what would follow from 1 July.

“I want to take a break this summer”

His own explanation is deliberately open-ended. “How long this break will last and what comes next in my life from 1 July, I am not thinking about that for now,” Schmidt said. “On the contrary: I am forbidding myself to think about it until then.”

That makes a break the only confirmed detail about his next step. The reports name neither another club nor a time frame for his return. Schmidt himself does not present it as a definitive end to his career either. He is speaking of an interruption whose length he has not yet determined.

The Journey From the Oberliga to the Conference League

Almost 20 years shaped the club's sporting direction

Schmidt initially took charge of Heidenheim on an interim basis in September 2007 and subsequently became head coach. Success returned to the Ostalb under him. He led the club from the Oberliga to promotion to the Bundesliga in 2023 and, along the way, into the Conference League.

After three years in the top flight, Heidenheim were relegated last summer. The club is currently sixth in the Second Division. Sanwald therefore explicitly described the sporting development as Schmidt's achievement: “Without Frank as head coach, our sporting development from amateur football all the way to the Bundesliga and European competition would not have been possible at all.”

Alongside the sporting development, the board also highlighted the coach's influence on the club's values. Schmidt himself also considers this part of his record: “Together, as FCH, we have written a unique story over many years, but the final chapter is not yet over.”

Sportschau describes the departure as the end of an era in the Ostalb. Der Spiegel likewise highlights the journey from the fourth tier to the Bundesliga and the Conference League.

At Least 24 More Games With Schmidt on the Touchline

The departure is not immediate

Heidenheim will not make the managerial change until the current season is over. According to the club's statement, there are still roughly seven months and at least 24 games in which Schmidt will lead the team. “I will give everything for our greatest possible success this season until the final game,” he announced.

Sanwald presented the departure as a final chapter they would share: “We, as the great FCH family, now have at least 24 games left to give Frank the greatest possible farewell together that he has earned as a coach and as a person at our club.”

At the same time, he spoke of a “caesura for our entire club” and a “huge change.” Those words hit the concrete point: Schmidt remains in charge until the end of the season, but his decision already affects the club's sporting plans for next season.

Heidenheim's Managerial Position Remains Vacant

No successor named yet

Who will succeed Schmidt after the season remains unclear. Neither 1. FC Heidenheim nor the two reports name a successor or a specific date for the announcement. For the club, this means the departure has been decided, while the head-coach position for the coming season has yet to be filled.

For Schmidt, a deliberately undefined phase begins on 1 July. For Heidenheim, a managerial era ends after almost 20 years that led the club from the Oberliga to the Bundesliga and the Conference League.