CoTrainer raises €1M to bring pro-grade tools to grassroots football
What's the deal? Cologne-based startup CoTrainerDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised €1 million in seed funding to expand its platform for amateur football clubs.
The round was led by kicker venturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the investment arm of sports media brand kicker. Teamgeist CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, superangelsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Comvest Digital, and several business angels also joined.
CoTrainer combines club organisation, training planning, and player development in one place. Its motto: "Less coordination. More football."
Why now? While professional clubs run on digital systems, many amateur clubs still juggle messaging groups, spreadsheets, and in-person chats. That leaves coaches and volunteers buried in hours of admin each week.
"Amateur soccer involves an enormous amount of passion and an enormous amount of administrative work that falls on volunteers," said chief executive officer and co-founder Claudius Ludwig. "We're building the platform that will relieve coaches and clubs of this burden."
More than 150 clubs already use CoTrainer, even before a full product relaunch planned for summer 2026.
What could go wrong? CoTrainer must convince cash-strapped, volunteer-run clubs to swap free tools like WhatsApp and spreadsheets for its platform. It also faces the challenge of scaling beyond German-speaking markets, where it now aims to lead.
The signal: As an early-stage startup, CoTrainer is betting that the same digital tools long used by professional clubs can finally reach grassroots football. Backing from kicker ventures, an investment fund tied directly to the sports media brand, signals confidence that the amateur game is a market worth consolidating onto a single platform.
Read more: Startbase
Image credit: CoTrainer
