Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Roger Prinzen, Heidenheim Youth Chief and Ex‑Bundesliga Defender, Dies at 57

His death leaves Heidenheim’s academy without its longtime leader.

Overview

  • 1. FC Heidenheim said Tuesday that Prinzen died Monday evening, calling the 57-year-old’s death sudden and unexpected, with no cause disclosed.
  • Heidenheim postponed two academy fixtures in response, moving the U19 league match against Augsburg to next Wednesday and delaying the U17 cup semifinal at Sonnenhof Großaspach without a new date.
  • Prinzen had led Heidenheim’s youth program since 2018 and was credited with shaping the club’s academy, where his son Marlon plays.
  • As a player he made 60 Bundesliga appearances and 147 in the second tier, featuring for SG Wattenscheid 09, Darmstadt 98, Hannover 96, Greuther Fürth and Austria Lustenau.
  • He later coached in Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland and twice served as Nürnberg’s interim head coach in 2013/14, while Nürnberg and Wattenscheid joined Heidenheim in offering condolences that named his wife Sonja and children Marlon, Mia and Tim.