As of: February 23, 2024, 1:15 p.m
Comments
Press
Split
Good shooting position: Elif has moved and is following the trajectory of the ball.
© Martin Hangen
One project offers girls free soccer training.
But financing “Girls at the Ball” is not easy for the clubs.
“A talent count!” Tatjana shouts enthusiastically, aiming intently at the soccer ball in front of her.
An energetic shot and the ball is in the goal.
The ten-year-old is a player in “Girls on the Ball,” a Germany-wide project in which girls between the ages of six and 16 can take part in free soccer training.
There is no pressure to perform, no obligation, no commitment to a club and every week without exception, as Anna Seliger, the project manager of “Girls at the Ball”, explains.
“With the football project, we want to ensure that girls become strong and courageously use public spaces without fear,” says Seliger, describing her motivation for launching the project.
Neuhausen is one of the first locations in Munich
Neuhausen is one of the first locations in Munich.
Every week between 20 and 30 girls come to the FT Gern club premises.
Two of them are Tatjana and her friend Elif.
They met on the soccer field and have been racing across the lawn together ever since.
“We always come – even when it rains,” emphasizes Elif.
When the two friends aren't playing on the club grounds, they practice between the clotheslines in the courtyard.
“It’s a great place to practice penalty shootouts,” reports Tatjana enthusiastically.
Since it was founded in 2007, there have been 21 locations nationwide where almost 10,000 girls trained last year.
In the gaming stronghold of Munich there are 15 locations where 8,670 girls take part.
“The high demand shows that we have hit the nerve of the times with 'Girls at the Ball',” says Anna Seliger.
That's why she plans to win more cities for a partnership in 2024.
It's not just a men's thing: at FT Gern it's also called “girls at the ball”.
© Martin Hangen
The city administrations are always very interested, explains the project manager.
And that is also important, because the free training is primarily financed by the city and district committee budgets.
There are also private sponsors such as the Beisheim Foundation or the Postcode Foundation.
The operation for the Munich locations alone costs 240,000 euros annually.
There are hurdles when it comes to concrete implementation
Despite the approval at the city and national level, hurdles are quickly encountered in the concrete implementation, explains the association's chairman Willi Wermelt.
For example, there are no toilets for girls or changing rooms.
The opinion that football is only for men is still widespread even in 2024, says Wermelt.
My news
Manipulated images of Munich house walls appear: “Are intended to cause discord and chaos” read
Curious reviews of the Viktualienmarkt – the speaker classifies them as “probably ripped off”.
Two injured in accident in Munich - Fraunhoferstrasse temporarily completely closed
Horrible act in Munich: Man assaults an unconscious woman in the middle of the city
Discovery in Munich: For some experts the “deadliest drug in the world” – chief doctor shows dangers
1 hour ago
Starting signal for the strong beer season - an overview of the festivals for Münchenlesen
At the Neuhausen-Nymphenburg location, the club set up a container in which the girls can change.
“The setup alone cost us six months of bureaucracy,” Wermelt explains the situation.
Girls with a soccer ball are often looked at strangely, he confirms.
Sometimes the girls' team was outright boycotted by boys' teams.
“The goals were set up in such a way that the balls regularly came to our side of the field,” reports the chairman regretfully.
Girls should only be trained by women
This afternoon the girls are practicing dribbling.
“Hold on, girls!”, coach Lisa Lebert motivates the girls.
You rarely see male coaches at “Girls on the Ball”.
“We don’t want old-school male coaches here,” explains Willi Wermelt.
Unfortunately, discipline and toughness are still widespread in male club football, he explains.
“No one should yell at our girls,” he emphasizes.
The girls should therefore only be trained by women.
But it is not always easy to find women for all locations, explains the chairman.
There are just 5,000 trainers in the Federal Republic.
For comparison: Germany has 44,000 male trainers.
And of course trainers also cost money.
Inquiries about coaching funding for 2024 are currently being submitted to the responsible district committees. As soon as this is approved, the girls will be kicking football everywhere in Munich this year too.