An interview with Steinar Pedersen, by Ben McFadyean for WFi.
Steinar Pedersen is the Sporting Director of 5-time Norwegian champions Vålerenga. The former Right-back started with the women’s team in 2021, where he led the side to the national title back-to-back in 2023 and 2024, as well as the Cup in 2024.
The 1-time Norway international began his professional career with IK Start in 1994 before agreeing to move to Borussia Dortmund in 1996, where the 1.81m tall versatile defender remained until 1998. In spite of being part of the Champions League-winning side, due to persistent injuries, he was limited to 6 appearances in the first team.
Born in Kristiansund, Pedersen made his debut in the Bundesliga in a 5-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1996. Following his release, he joined a club which became a core part of his professional career, Lillestrøm SK, with which he played five seasons.
After spells with IHK Gothenburg in Sweden, and Stromsgodset back home, he ended his career back at his childhood club Start, having made 426 professional appearances, in which he scored 25 goals.
In 2014, the UEFA A-licence-holder embarked on a coaching career in the Norwegian second tier with FK Jerv. In 2016 he returned to first-tier side IK Start as manager, where he remained for two seasons before moving to third-tier side Arendal, the side promoted in 2021. Pedersen joins Norwegian top-tier side Amazon Grimstad in the women’s game, where he remains for two seasons before moving to Vålerenga.
In this interview, Pedersen speaks about why Norwegian football is on the up, Bayern’s tough trip to Stavanger, BVB’s chances tonight at Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League, and his own experience playing for Borussia Dortmund.
Although you had limited opportunity to show your skills at Borussia Dortmund, with four appearances including two in the Champions League, you were part of the BVB squad that won the now legendary 1997 Champions League. Dortmund were on a huge high at the time, having just won the championship in 95/96. What was the atmosphere like at the club?
A scout arranged a trial at Dortmund. We were on summer break in Norway, and I wanted to gather more international experience and a flavour of European football. I went down to Switzerland to the summer training camp of BVB. At 21 I was very motivated by the idea of such a big opportunity at one of the biggest clubs in Europe at the time I was a young player with potential, but I was surprised to be getting a trial at BVB, and I knew it was going to be a huge challenge. The day before the trial, I had played a match in Norway. I was given a match straight away to play on arrival and then a second followed a day later; three matches in 3 days was quite a hard start for me.
How was your experience of joining a club like BVB from Norway?
After a successful trial, I was offered a contract by the then manager Michael Meier. Dortmund saw potential in me; I knew it was going to be a huge learning curve playing with some of the best players in Europe. A great opportunity and a big step forward from the Norwegian league to the Bundesliga one I could not afford to miss out on, but the start was not so good; my first match with Borussia was a surprising loss away at SG Wattenscheid 09, 4-2, if I remember correctly, the local rivals knocked us, the reigning champions, out in the first round of the DFB Pokal.
Was it a challenge settling in Germany? Do you have any recollections to share about your experience of Dortmund?
The club was incredibly well run. I could see from the great discipline and training that any result could be achieved under Ottmar Hitzfeld. I was very impressed from the outset; it was a big learning curve for me, and an opportunity. Although it is an industrial city and very different from the Norwegian coastal town of Kristiansund where I grew up, I was really struck by the friendliness of the local people in Dortmund and their attachment to Borussia. Black and Yellow is everywhere in Dortmund. I moved there with my girlfriend, now the mother of my three boys. One of my boys is now a professional in the third division in Norway, by the way. The tempo and the training were on a different level, and I had to really concentrate, but I was lucky to share the hotel where I initially lived with guys like Paul Lambert, Jovan Kirvoski, and Vladimir But. They all spoke English perfectly, and we were all young international players. Especially with Vlad, I had some great laughs. I remember all of them, great players and great people.
You were part of an amazing team, including Germany World Cup-winning stars like Andy Möller, Kalle Riedle, and Jurgen Kohler, who were your friends in the team. What do you remember about these guys? How was the atmosphere in the locker rooms at BVB with so many legends in the team?
For me, football has always been about working hard, believing in yourself, and getting results. I’ve always been a very focused professional. I was a young professional, and joining up with the players who had just won the European Championship at England 96, it was amazing having the chance to be part of the locker room with European champions like Andi Möller, Jurgen Kohler and Matthias Sammer. I was somewhat overawed as a young professional, and my time with BVB was just one season, but an amazing year to be there. I have amazing memories of the teamwork and friendships; I got on well with Knut Reinhart and Steffen Freund, great people and fantastic players. A chance to learn from the best.
What match experiences stick in your mind at BVB? I guess every BVB fan wants to know what it was like playing in front of the Yellow Wall at Westfalenstadion. What makes Dortmund such a special club?
Playing in Dortmund is very, very special; for me, it’s one of the greatest stadiums in the world. What I remember especially is Champions League matches; I travelled with Dortmund to play Steaua Bucharest and Lech Warsaw in Poland and played against Atletico Madrid twice. My dad who is the goalkeeping coach of IK Start the team I am the manager of keeps a special souvenir of my experience at Borussia, it has a funny story, Long before I had secured my contract with BVB we as a family had booked a family holiday to Thailand, my father keeps a special souvenir of my career the BVB shirt I gained for the match I played for BVB against Atletico Madrid, although my father was in Thailand at the time and never got to see the game, my two matches against Atletico Madrid in the Champions league for BVB remain with me as one of the proudest moments of my career at least he has the shirt…
You were with BVB for only one season before going to Lillestrøm SK on loan; do you have any regrets?
Being a football player, you have to make choices, and at the time I was on the bench at Dortmund, I chose to go out on loan, and when I came back to Dortmund at the start of 1997/98, Nevio Scala was the new manager. There were new players and new coaches; everything had changed. Due in part to injury, I was only able to make limited appearances, but I have no regrets; you always know better afterwards.
Do you still go to Dortmund for matches?
I returned to Dortmund as part of my coaching training. I spent a week in Dortmund; what surprised me was the reception I got from BVB, how I was so well received after all those years. It’s no coincidence that Dortmund get the results they are focused on in an impressive way; it’s about structure and focus at Dortmund. Also, youth is the key factor; the club trains with great coaches and has a great youth set-up. (Managing Director) Lars Ricken, who I played with, is doing an amazing job. I have been invited twice to watch matches at Signal Iduna Park. I also went to a BVB game in Brann vs. Odd in the Europa League some years back. The atmosphere when they play is fantastic, especially the renditions of You Never Walk Alone and the chants. Maybe the best in the world? I am proud of my time with BVB, but I have never been to the Yellow Wall as yet…
You moved into coaching after your active career, and are now Sporting Director at Vålerenga. What has the transition been like?
The best thing ever is being a football player and having that as a job. The second best is being a coach. As a footballer, you want to give something back after your playing career; you want to give 100%. What better way than being a coach? Football is a lifestyle. Being a coach, and now Sporting Director, has great challenges but also great opportunities.
How is it going in the women’s game for you?
I have been here for 4 years now, and we have qualified for European competition and played top sides like Bayern Munich several times, which is inspiring. Also, we have done well in the league. We also, however, face a big challenge: keeping the best players in the league because there is great demand for our players from other sides in Europe, including now Borussia Dortmund.
Would you like to see Vålerenga women play BVB?
Hopefully BVB will also rise in Europe. Of course that would be a dream!
The Norwegian team qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 28 years and reached the quarter-finals. FK Bodø/Glimt reached the semi-final of the Europa League in 2025, in addition to the quarter-finals in 2022. The current crop includes Erling Haaland, Alexander Serloth, Martin Odegaard, and Kristoffer Ajer. Is Norwegian football having a moment?
It’s very exciting, but we have small stadiums, and hard for opponents on Astro turf, but the climate makes it too challenging; with the temperatures, it’s not possible any other way. It’s common to play on the surface; for me, it’s something new as a player. The talents are coming through, and the Norwegian game is in a very good place; also, the youth national teams and the clubs in European competitions are a reflection of the domestic league, which is also booming. The grounds are full; it’s an exciting era for us.
Bayern Munich went 2-0 down and were lucky to take a point away at Viking Stavanger last night. What is your prediction for Borussia Dortmund’s game at FK Bodø/Glimt tonight?
Viking did a great job; they were really well-structured and worked so hard. The quality was there, and they actually dominated, but then Bayern came back; for Viking, the draw was really good for the Norwegians ultimately.
What is your prediction for Borussia Dortmund tonight?
Bodo had a tough time against Bayern a couple of weeks back, but at home it can be different. This is a counter-attacking side who play with intensity; as you have seen, it has led to success, beating Manchester City or Inter; they show their quality. If the home side get their rhythm going, it will be tough for BVB. If Borussia manage to handle the surface well, however, then it should be doable because they have the quality, of course. I think Bodø/Glimt can surprise. I think we will see a 2-2 draw and a highly open game.
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