Aberdeen FC is pleased to announce the appointment of Mario Frick as the Club’s new Head Coach.
Mario joins the Dons, subject to UK visa formalities, following an impressive five-year spell with FC Luzern. Appointed in December 2021 with the Club sitting bottom of the Swiss Super League, he steered Luzern away from relegation danger before guiding them to a fourth-place finish and qualification for European football. During his time in charge, Luzern also spent periods at the top of the table.
“We are delighted to welcome Mario Frick and his assistant coach Roman Matter to Aberdeen Football Club,” said Aberdeen FC chief executive Adrian Bevington.
“This appointment follows a thorough and extensive recruitment process led by Lutz Pfannenstiel and myself on behalf of the Board, during which we spoke to a number of highly qualified candidates.
“Mario has significant experience as a Head Coach and has delivered impressive results with both Vaduz and Luzern. He has a proven track record of building competitive teams and developing young players.
“Throughout our discussions, he demonstrated a clear vision, strong leadership qualities and a deep understanding of what is required to build a successful team.
“He was also exceptionally well regarded by the many people across the game we consulted during the process, and the Board was unanimous in its belief that he is the right person to lead Aberdeen Football Club forward.
“I would like to thank the Board, in particular Willie Garner, and colleagues across the Club for their diligence and support throughout this process.”
AFC Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel added:
“I’m really pleased that we have been able to bring Mario Frick to Aberdeen. I have enormous respect for his football knowledge, leadership qualities and passion for the game.
“Mario is a strong personality with clear ideas about how he wants his teams to play. He brings energy, ambition and a winning mentality, and knows how to build a strong team environment.
“We were looking for the right person to lead the next chapter of Aberdeen FC, and I’m convinced Mario has the qualities, character and vision to make a real impact. I’m looking forward to working closely with him.”
Prior to his success at Luzern, Mario held coaching roles with FC Balzers and FC Vaduz. At Vaduz, he secured promotion to the Swiss Super League. Across almost 290 senior matches as a Head Coach, he has built a strong reputation for transforming teams, handing top-flight debuts to more than 30 academy players during his coaching career.
Before moving into coaching, Mario played for clubs including FC Basel, FC Zürich, St. Gallen, Grasshopper, Siena and Ternana.
A striker who also featured at centre-back, he earned 125 international caps for Liechtenstein between 1993 and 2016, scoring a national record 16 goals.
As he prepares to make his move to Scotland, Mario said:
“I'm excited to be joining Aberdeen FC. It's a Club with a proud history, passionate supporters and big ambitions. Together with the staff, my aim is to create an environment where the players can thrive, develop and perform at their very best, while working towards our goals as a team.”
Mario and Roman will arrive in Aberdeen at the start of the week, ready to oversee training and first team preparations ahead of the match against Kilmarnock next weekend.
