{{short description|German football coach}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Stephan Lerch | image = 2019-05-18 Fußball, Frauen, UEFA Women's Champions League, Olympique Lyonnais - FC Barcelona StP 0949 LR10 by Stepro.jpg | caption = Lerch in 2019 | full_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|8|10|df=yes}} | birth_place = Darmstadt, West Germany | height = 1.83 m | position = Midfielder | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = | years1 = 2004–2010 | clubs1 = FC Alsbach | caps1 = | goals1 = | totalcaps = | totalgoals = | manageryears1 = 2012–2013 | managerclubs1 = FC Alsbach | manageryears2 = 2013–2015 | managerclubs2 = VfL Wolfsburg II (women) | manageryears3 = 2015–2017 | managerclubs3 = VfL Wolfsburg (women) (assistant) | manageryears4 = 2017–2021 | managerclubs4 = VfL Wolfsburg (women) | manageryears5 = 2023–2024 | managerclubs5 = TSG Hoffenheim (women) | manageryears6 = 2025– | managerclubs6 = VfL Wolfsburg (women) }}
'''Stephan Lerch''' (born 10 August 1984) is a German football coach who is the manager of Frauen-Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vfl-wolfsburg.de/en/teams/womens-first-team/players-and-staff/player-profile/team-kader/profil/stephan-lerch-0/|title=Stephan Lerch Profile |publisher=vfl-wolfsburg.de|access-date=30 August 2020}}</ref>
==Coaching career== Lerch's first manager job, were at his former club FC Alsbach in 2012, where he also played from 2004 to 2010.
Lerch joined VfL Wolfsburg second team, where he was the team's head coach for two season, until he became assistant coach for the club's first team in the summer 2015.
In April 2017, he replaced his coach colleague German Ralf Kellermann as new head coach for VfL Wolfsburg. Kellermann were the team's head coach for about nine years until he became the new sporting director for the women's team. Since his election as new head coach, he qualified the team for the 2018 UEFA Women's Champions League Final in Kyiv. Wolfsburg was defeated 1–4 by Lyon. He has won the national league Frauen-Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal every year since his election in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dfb.de/news/detail/dritter-titel-perfekt-der-vfl-wolfsburg-ist-deutscher-meister-167350/|title=Dritter Titel perfekt: Der VfL Wolfsburg ist Deutscher Meister|date=14 May 2017|work=dfb}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/womenschampionsleague/news/023a-0e16872c2755-24c7fac3b13e-1000--who-will-succeed-lyon-the-road-to-kyiv-2018/|title=Who will succeed Lyon? The road to Kyiv 2018|publisher=UEFA|date=1 June 2017}}</ref><ref name="guide">{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/womenschampionsleague/news/0245-0e17684f7fbb-b1be4f1de403-1000--wolfsburg-v-lyon-uwcl-final-all-you-need-to-know/|title=Wolfsburg v Lyon: #UWCL final guide|publisher=UEFA|date=29 April 2018}}</ref>
On 30 April 2025, it was announced that Lerch had returned to Wolfsburg and signed a two year contract with the club, effective from 1 July 2025.<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://www.vfl-wolfsburg.de/newsdetails/news-detail/detail/news/erfolgstrainer-kehrt-zurueck|title=Erfolgstrainer kehrt zurück|trans-title=Successful coach returns|website=www.vfl-wolfsburg.de}}</ref>
==Coaching honors== '''VfL Wolfsburg''' *'''Frauen-Bundesliga''': **'''Winners (4):''' 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20 **''Runners-up (2):'' 2015–16, 2020–21 *'''DFB Pokal''': ** '''Winners (6):''' 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21 *'''UEFA Women's Champions League''': **''Runners-up (3):'' 2015–16, 2017–18, 2019–20
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Soccerway coach|stephan-lerch/309932}} * {{WorldFootball.net|stephan-lerch}} * [https://www.vfl-wolfsburg.de/en/teams/womens-first-team/players-and-staff/player-profile/team-kader/profil/stephan-lerch-0/ Profile] at VfL Wolfsburg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lerch, Stephan}} Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from Darmstadt Category:German men's footballers Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:German football managers Category:VfL Wolfsburg (women) managers Category:Frauen-Bundesliga managers Category:21st-century German sportsmen
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