At the end of March, after the elimination of Liberec in the quarter-finals against Sparta, he hinted at his farewell, but was still reluctant to make a definitive statement. Now he has done so, and the native of Litoměřice gave the player a successful career. However, he stays with hockey. He will be the head of scouting for the White Tigers.
“I’ve always been an ambitious person, and that doesn’t change with my new role. I know it will be a learning process and more time consuming. But I’m looking forward to it,” said the 38-year-old Birner, who eight years ago played a significant role in winning Liberec’s historic championship title.
“Michal has had a rich and successful career. I was very happy that I convinced him in 2015 to help start the organization in a slightly different direction. I think it was a complete success,” remarked coach and sports director of North Bohemia Filip Pešán.
From the new season, Birner will be in charge of searching for new talents and their adaptation in the organization.
“In order to compete with the richer teams of the extra league who can afford to buy ready-made players, we have to be efficient in selecting and nurturing young players. The role of the scout is important for this philosophy, which we have been following for a long time, and that is why we are introducing it in the club,” explained Pešán, who returned to the club a year ago.
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Sparta–Liberec 2:2 (47. Birner)Video: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA
“Michal has done a lot for Liberec, he is a person of character even off the ice and is respected both in the Czech Republic and internationally. We couldn’t have chosen anyone better. He will expand our implementation team, where he will work closely with Petr Jelínek to adapt young players to our program and transition to adult hockey and have a perfect overview of them,” concluded Pešán.
Michal Birner played a total of seven seasons under Ještěd. After winning the championship in 2016, he spent three years in the Swiss top flight. During the 2018/19 year, he returned to Liberec. He played a total of 391 matches in the Czech Extraliga with a balance of 108 goals and 204 assists. He made 65 starts for the national team, scored 9 goals and recorded 16 assists.
