The representatives of three Ebersberg clubs with different youth models have commented on the current situation in youth football.
County - Professional football has been given the green light from the highest point. The 1st and 2nd Bundesliga may continue the 2019/20 season with “ghost games” from May 16. In the amateur sector, there is now a colorful patchwork of procedures in the question of a possible end to the season at federal level.
The Bavarian Football Association is one of the few regional associations to switch the traffic lights to yellow instead of red in a fundamental decision and plans to stop the adult amateur footballers - if possible under government regulations - from September 1st at the earliest and with four weeks' notice Let the game round end sportily. Meanwhile, for Bavaria's youth football, the called solution working group (LAG) "Spielbetrieb Juniinnen und Juniens" under the leadership of association youth leader Florian Weißmann from Markt Schwaben is to present "a final solution" by the end of May, which in turn could "look different for the target group" ( we reported).
Sigl: "A season continuation would not be a good idea"
When “contact-free individual sport with a distance” starts again in Bavaria from Monday onwards, the young football players with their playground equipment are still restricted to the living room and garden. But they may already be among the beneficiaries at the next "easing stage" of politics and can pass the ball back to the court in small groups.
Klaus Sigl is skeptical of such a scenario. The application engineer from Aßling trains the juniors of SG Ostermünchen / Aßling / Emmering and says: “A season continuation would not be a good idea. You have to look at the development, but as of now, I would definitely not continue. "
There is hardly any infrastructure for small group training
Sigl's team is currently third, playing for promotion in the district class. The only thing that makes the SG trainer thoughtful and careful is the regular work discussions with his colleagues from South Korea, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the USA and India. “In the news, we only notice politically colored fragments. Germany is managing the crisis well, but overall the risk of infection is worrying. "
Training in small groups would hardly give the infrastructure on the Büchsenberg or the training facilities of the two partner clubs; a functioning hygiene concept is unrealistic. “You can't even prevent close contact with 18-year-olds. I can't blame them for that either. The core of the team would, of course, be ready for anything to be allowed to kick again. But a few players have concerns, and maybe their employers wouldn't. ”
No thinned player blanket at SG Ostermünchen / Aßling / Emmering
Adolescents at the beginning of their professional careers could worry about long-term consequences if an infection occurs in their training group and at best they would have to quarantine for two weeks. "Perhaps I think a little further with my 58 years," says Sigl but freely, "that I will consider whether I will continue as a trainer with an early continuation."
At least for a thinned-out player blanket, the syndicate did not have to worry after the Corona crisis. Only five A-Juniors move into the men's area after the season and supplies are secured.
TSV Zorneding also without personnel problems
The TSV Zorneding also benefits from this. "There is currently no scenario in sight for us that will cause us problems," says youth leader Mario Hüneburg. "If you only have your own teams in the youth area, it is probably easier to deal with players than in a syndicate, where maybe four or five players break away who switch to the men's area of their parent club." Nevertheless, Hüneburg knows of course that a consistent, own youth division is rather the exception today and is threatened by the long training break. "In our place, however, I believe less in many withdrawals. When a large number of children play football, they usually stick to it. Maybe they just find another hobby, like esports. ”
JFG FC Salzburg is well prepared
Even the only remaining youth support community in the district, JFG FC Salzburg, sees itself well prepared for any future scenario. "Of course we want to finish playing with the A-Juniors for reasons of fairness and not relegate," says JFG board member Werner Ehrnstraßer. "But we accept every decision of the association, also because I understand how difficult it is for those responsible at the moment."
Up to nine kickers from the parent clubs Forstinning and Hohenlinden belong to the older U19 age group, who may have to choose in autumn whether they want to / may end the season with A-Jugend or the men. "We will then decide depending on the situation," says Ehrnstraßer, who is currently more aware of the advantages of the long-term JFG model. “We used to have a SG with the SVH, but I always found the JFG better. Of course you have to manage a separate club, but you don't have the problem with the registration lists every year and you can also play higher than the district league. ”
Three clubs, three different youth models: none of the three sample camps are afraid of the big wave of leaving or the great chaos in the A youth sector. Especially not in the long run. Opinions and priorities only diverge when you return to training. "Every coach and every team is different," says Hüneburg.
JULIAN BETZL