Sindre Tjelmeland signs as assistant coach

Tjelmeland was born in Norway and began his adventure with football as a player. He competed in various lower divisions, representing clubs such as FK Haugesund (B team), IL Sandviken, Arna-Bjørnar Fotball and Åsane Fotball. In the latter, Tjelmeland began his career as an assistant coach. The Norwegian also has experience as the head coach – he led two teams: Ullensaker/Kisa IL and IK Star. In the case of the second team, Tjelmeland coached his squad for 2.5 years (nearly 100 games in the second Norwegian division), finishing 9^th, 3^rd, and 5^th in the league. The 34-year-old’s potential was recognized by the Swedish club IFK Göteborg which Tjelmeland joined as an assistant coach in January 2024. “My official last day at IFK Göteborg was on Friday, hence I still had some work to do there. However, I devoted all my free time to tracking what Niels Frederiksen and his coaching staff are doing, and watching Lech’s matches to adjust as well as possible. I think I am well prepared for this job,” said Sindre Tjelmeland.

Now the Norwegian will coach Lech Poznań’s squad. On Saturday, the Polish club announced that the 34-year-old will be Niels Frederiksen’s assistant coach. The contract signed by Tjelmeland will last for two years. “Sindre Tjelmeland’s arrival means that the coaching staff for the upcoming season is complete. From the start, it was agreed that Niels Frederiksen would join Lech with one assistant. We gave the coach a free hand when it came to choosing the candidate as it was important for him to feel that it’s the right person for the job. Both the coach and we were focused on quality, hence the process took a while. Together we talked to various candidates and in the end, we opted for Tjelmeland who is regarded as one of the most talented Scandinavian coaches of the new generation,” explained Tomasz Rząsa, Lech’s Sporting Director.

“I began the talks with Sindre a few weeks ago but in the meantime, we have stayed in touch, having numerous valuable discussions about his potential role in the squad. It is important to me that thanks to his competencies, he will complete the squad perfectly. He has a lot of knowledge about training and tactics, and despite his young age, he has plenty of experience. He is ambitious, always looking for new possibilities to grow, and this kind of attitude is one of his key strengths,” highlighted Niels Frederiksen, Lech’s coach.