This year, the opponent for the QJL All Star team will be the academy team of Borussia Mönchengladbach—a renowned European club with a rich history and a highly respected academy.
Let’s take a closer look at the academy of the "Black-White-Greens."
The youth development system at Borussia’s academy features teams across age categories ranging from U-9 to U-19. There is also a reserve team consisting of players under the age of 23, which competes in the Regionalliga West.
The position of Academy Director has been held for over four years by Mirko Sandmöller—a man whose career progression took place entirely within the Borussia system. Joining the club in 2008, he has come a long way. He worked as an assistant coach for several youth academy teams, then personally coached the U-14 and U-15 squads, before transitioning into managerial roles: first as the head of the boarding school, and later as the managing director of the academy.
The club’s youth training center is located within the BORUSSIA-PARK compound—right next to the senior team's home arena and other club facilities. Diverse training pitches, changing rooms, a gym, and rehabilitation rooms are all within walking distance. Crucially, the academy prospects train right alongside the first-team professionals.
The heart of Borussia's youth infrastructure is its campus. Opened in 2014, the FohlenCampus brings together key operational spaces for the academy, including coaching and office zones, analysis and meeting rooms, as well as dedicated spaces for players, staff, and guests.
In 2018, the construction of a modern youth academy boarding house, the FohlenStall, was completed. Translated from German, the word means "Foals' Stable"—in perfect harmony with the Mönchengladbach team's popular nickname ("The Foals").
The club is also expanding its presence abroad: international academies under the Borussia Academy brand operate in countries such as Singapore, China, and Switzerland.
The long-term efforts made by Borussia’s management in recent years are bearing fruit. The most recent major achievement for the club's academy is the U-17 team's victory in last year's German championship for that age category, where they defeated RB Leipzig's youth team in the final.
The championship-winning squad consisted of players born in 2008 and 2009—and many of the heroes from that season will surely play against the QJL All Star team.
To understand how significant this title win is, one simple fact is worth mentioning: prior to this, Borussia had won the German U-17 championship only back in the distant year of 1981—45 years ago!
The girls' teams are achieving great success as well. For instance, in 2024, Borussia's U-17 girls' team captured the German championship title—one year earlier than the boys did.
The fact that the "Black-White-Greens" have managed to build a strong and stable system for developing talented youth is also reflected by another statistic: over the last 20 years, eight Borussia academy graduates have won the Fritz Walter Medal—a prestigious individual award presented to the best youth players of the season in Germany. This prize was awarded twice to perhaps Borussia’s most famous graduate of the 21st century—the legendary goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.
All of this speaks to the powerful foundation of Borussia’s football center, and there are strong reasons to believe that the team of Kazakhstan’s top youth talents will face what might be the strongest generation of the Mönchengladbach academy in recent times.
The celebratory All-Star Match will take place on July 11th in Almaty—stay tuned for updates!
