Martin Przondziono is a highly experienced football executive and former professional player with more than 35 years in the game. Born in Salzgitter in 1969, he built a career that combines extensive on-field experience with senior leadership roles across German and international football.
As a player, Przondziono featured in over 350 professional matches between 1990 and 2004, representing clubs such as Werder Bremen, 1. FC Nürnberg, SpVgg Greuther Fürth, VfL Osnabrück, Preußen Münster, and VfB Lübeck. His long playing career laid the foundation for his transition into football management and scouting.
After retiring from playing, he entered the business and management side of the sport. He founded and managed SPORTTRADE GmbH, working as a player agent and athlete marketer across football, tennis, and golf. He later co-led EUMAGO GmbH, publishing Golf Region magazine and organizing tournaments and events, showcasing his versatility in sports management.
Przondziono then moved into leadership positions within top German clubs. At 1. FC Nürnberg, Hannover 96, and SC Paderborn 07, he established scouting departments, implemented data-driven recruitment tools such as Wyscout and Impect, and led squad planning from academy to first-team level. His tenure at Hannover 96 and SC Paderborn included promotions to the Bundesliga in 2018 and 2019 respectively, underlining his impact on team building and strategic development. At Paderborn, he also served as Managing Director of Sport, overseeing budget planning, squad construction, international partnerships, and investor relations.
Most recently, as Head of Football and Development at Capelli Sport Europe (2021–2023), he advised clubs and academies worldwide, executed transfers, expanded networks and scouting structures in the USA, and built synergies across Capelli’s global football portfolio.
In 2023, Przondziono began working as a freelance consultant, advising associations on structures, investors and investments, international cooperation and networking, as well as national and international squad analyses. Since 2025, he has served as Sports Director at Dare 2 Dream Sports Management, where he is leading the establishment of a comprehensive academy network in Nigeria. The project aims to provide young players with professional football training while ensuring access to structured school education.
Przondziono also holds a UEFA B coaching license, which complements his management and scouting expertise with technical knowledge of player development.
With a career that spans professional playing, coaching, scouting, executive leadership, and international sports business, Martin Przondziono has established himself as a football strategist who bridges on-field experience with modern management and global networking.
Our Exclusive Interview with Martin Przondziono
You played over 350 professional matches before moving into management. How did your playing career shape your approach to scouting and football leadership?
During my 15 years as a player, I gained enough experience to develop my strategy. I was fortunate to work with many different personalities, both players and officials. I learned a lot and always try to incorporate that experience. Of course, over time you develop your own way of thinking, but experience is definitely an advantage in our business. I have held several positions as an official, so I can draw on that experience enormously in my decisions and discussions.
At Hannover 96 and SC Paderborn, you were part of teams that achieved promotion to the Bundesliga. What were the key decisions or strategies behind those successes?
The most important decisions are always in the area of squad planning. Of course, the financial aspect plays a major role, but in Paderborn in particular, we put together a great squad with a very small budget. The strategy should always be tailored to the club. Our idea was to score as many goals as possible. We always stuck to that. Too many changes in direction not only cost a lot of money, but also credibility with fans, sponsors, and investors. And, of course, with employees. Squad planning is a very detailed process in which sporting goals, finances, and, of course, the sustainability and value enhancement of the players play a major role. In doing so, we must not lose sight of the integration of young players from our own youth academy. We have been very successful in this regard in Hanover and Paderborn.
You built scouting departments and introduced data-driven tools like Wyscout and Impect early on. How do you see the balance between traditional scouting and analytics today?
That’s a very interesting question. The two different approaches to scouting have now become very intertwined. Without data analysis, it is almost impossible to do the preliminary work and pre-selection of players, especia
