New coach for Astralis Talent – high ambitions

After an impressive performance throughout 2023, over the summer, talent coach Mathias "R0nic" Pinholt was promoted to Assistant Coach for the first team.

The replacement as Head Coach for Astralis Talent has now been found, and Astralis today presents Alex "alexsomfan" Nielsen as the new man in charge of the talent team.

Kasper Straube, Sports Director:

- Following an impressive development throughout 2023, we are in the process of a minor rebuild of the talent team. We have sold some very talented players, and we are now in the process of putting together the team card for the autumn. The Head Coach of Astralis Talent will play an important role in this connection, and we have been searching for the right profile.

- Therefore, I am very happy that we have reached an agreement with Alex Nielsen, who will take up his new role immediately. His approach to player development and creating the best team and the best possible conditions is exactly what we have been looking for, and his results as an in-game leader proves that he also has the tactical insights, we’re looking for, says the Sports Director.

Alex "alexsomfan" Nielsen, Head Coach of Astralis Talent:

- I am of course incredibly happy that Kasper and Astralis show me the trust to bring me in as a coach for Astralis Talent. Astralis wants to further develop the set-up and to both strengthen the team and to utilize the organization around Counter-Strike even better, and I look forward to being part of that work.

- My primary experience is as a player, but I have been part of building many teams and come with some clear thoughts about what we need to do and how we need to do it. At the same time, I will be working with some experienced profiles when it comes to developing a strong performance culture, and I have already had some very inspiring talks with both Kasper Straube and our Head of Performance, Jan Ø. Jørgensen. I have no doubt that we will field a strong team with a group of players we can develop to reach an even higher level, says the new talent coach.

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In relation to the task that lies ahead of Alex Nielsen and what we should expect from Astralis Talent in the future says Kasper Straube:

- There is a lot of good teams and strong competition in Denmark, but with our investment in Astralis Talent, our goal can only be to have the two best Danish-owned teams. We have had that for longer periods in the spring, and with all respect for our colleagues, this is what we aim for going forwards. We must also have ambitions for Astralis Talent to take a step up in international tournaments, and in general make a mark as one of the best teams in Denmark.

- At Astralis, we want to help provide the most talented Danish players with a good education, which means that the players who are through our talent programme can either develop into players who can make it to our first team, or that we manage to send players on to organizations and teams that suit their level, where they through our education and their own commitment can become a factor.

- That is, more or less, Alex's job description, Straube explains.

Alex "alexsomfan" joins immediately and it is expected that new players will be introduced in the coming weeks.