Toronto, ON (October 5, 2020) – York9 FC are thrilled to announce the signing of German striker Julian Ulbricht and have agreed on an option on him through the end of the 2022 campaign.

The 21-year-old came through the highly-regarded youth setup at Hamburg SV and has spent the last three seasons featuring for their second team in Regionalliga Nord – the fourth-tier of German football – and competing against the likes of Werder Bremen II, Wolfsburg II, FC St Pauli II and Hannover 96 II.

Ulbricht will join up with his new team-mates early in 2021, after a spell with 1. FC Phönix Lübeck, also of Germany’s fourth-tier.

After keeping a close eye on Ulbricht, York9 FC’s Managing Consultant, Angus McNab, is delighted to finally get the deal over the line.

“Julian is a player I have been tracking for a while and he’s a guy that really impressed me off the field as much as on it”, McNab says.

“He’s had other offers in Europe but he wants to come to Canada and play in the CPL. He’s been through one of the top academy systems in the world at Hamburg so to sign a player from such an illustrious club and for him to then get the opportunity to continue playing in the same league for Lübeck before coming to us was a perfect arrangement. I think he’ll be an important player for us in 2021 and beyond”.

Ulbricht becomes the first German to play for York9 FC and further strengthens the club’s ties with the country’s football landscape. Assistant coach Paul Stalteri spent the bulk of his professional career with Werder Bremen, beginning with the second team in Regionalliga Nord, before memorably winning a Bundesliga and DFB Pokal double in 2004. He later finished his playing days with another high-profile German side in Borussia Monchengladbach.