Women's football | "It felt much more like a community"

How often do you play soccer per week?

At Türkiyemspor, we train twice a week and have games on the weekend. But now, I'm also training with a few friends with the C-team, who are two years younger than us. We can learn a few other things there.

How does the boys’ football differ from yours?

Women's football is more structured, I think, and more tactically based. Men's football is more physical, the game moves at a faster pace. Also, the players are perhaps a bit more technical. But that's a very general statement.

And how are the players treated? There's a lot of shouting in boys' soccer. Is it better in the girls' leagues?

I'd say it's pretty much the same. The girls' aggression is played down a bit, but it's actually just as present. The conflicts on the pitch in our games aren't that different from those in the boys'.

This winter, you went to Cuba to play soccer with a teammate from Türkiyemspor. You were still 16, and you went without any adults... Sounds exciting.

My former coach always spends the winter months in Cuba. She and her friends set up a sports project there. Once a week, they offer soccer for girls of all ages. That's something that's rarely seen in Cuba. The women who play soccer there have had to really fight through it. I think they want to make it easier for the younger ones now.

In Cuba, baseball and boxing are more popular.

Yes, football is still quite new. And the women's national team hasn't existed for very long.

What was your main motivation? Did you want to get to know Cuba, or was it to train the Cuban girls?

A bit of both. And we wanted to visit our old coach. But training the girls was a challenge for us. My Spanish wasn't that good yet. At home, we basically only speak German and Basque.

You also trained with the national indoor soccer team.

Yes, futsal is a bit more popular in Cuba because it's reminiscent of street soccer. People play more on concrete floors. There are also quite a few indoor courts that are really good. With wooden floors that are a bit run down now, but must have been really good back then. I'd say there are a lot of people who have only played indoors.

You also got to know the real national team.

Yes, we did play with the regular U20 women's national team. But there aren't that many women's teams that play field soccer.

You didn't stay in a hotel in Havana, but in a Cuban home. Of course, you get to experience more of everyday life there. What was the first thing you noticed?

The old cars, of course. The taxis, where you sit with a bunch of people and have to signal to hail. I also found the people more open. It felt much more like a community than in Berlin.

There's a huge shortage in Cuba, too. Didn't that bother you?

We only experienced a power outage once. It happens more often in the area where my trainer lives, but not so much in our area. It wasn't really that bad. Power outages are usually announced.

And the fact that the shops were empty didn't interest you?

It was definitely different from Germany. When we went to the state-run supermarket in our neighborhood, there was basically nothing. Some stores only sold one product. There are also stores where you can get more, but the items are much more expensive. I thought the markets were pretty cool. You can basically get everything you need there.

Many young people have emigrated from Cuba in recent years. Was this a topic of discussion among your teammates? Did they say they wanted to leave too?

No, we didn't talk about that. But my coach said that many of the younger players left.

Balls, sneakers, and jerseys are also not easy to come by in Cuba. How did the players manage?

This is also a project of my coach. She regularly takes shirts from Türkiyemspor with her when she flies from Germany to Cuba. Or secondhand soccer boots. We did that too. We had a lot of sports gear from our club in our luggage and distributed it there.

Have you ever taken any trips out of the city?

Of course, we went to the beach twice…

And which sea is better: the Caribbean or the Basque Atlantic?

It's hard to say, the sea is completely different. In Cuba, the water was turquoise and very calm. In the Basque Country, we usually have strong waves. I think both are great, but the waves in the Atlantic are very special.

What did your teammates at Türkiyem say when you returned? Do they want to go on a similar trip now?

It wasn't such a big deal. When we got back, school had already started again, and we didn't have much time to talk. Besides, I coach the U19 team before my own training... But I imagine the others are interested now, too.

Ah, you haven't mentioned that yet. Not only do you train twice a week yourself and go to the boys' gym, but you also train younger girls twice a week?

Yes, I started doing that last year. I always do it before my own training. And on the weekends, I also coach the team during games.

Then you won't have any life besides football.

That's not so bad – both training sessions are on the same days, so I only have two afternoons a week booked. It only gets chaotic on the weekends when my games are somewhere completely different from my team's.

Women's football is bigger in the Basque Country than in Germany. Have you seen what's going on in the Spanish league?

Well, to be honest, I don't watch women's football that much. It might not be as good for promoting it, but men's football is more visible... I'm keeping a close eye on Barcelona; they're probably the best women's team right now. And Athletic Bilbao aren't bad either. The promotion of women's football is much greater in Spain than in Germany. Hertha BSC, for example, started very late.

What do you plan to do next with football?

Next year I'll join the adults. I want to stay at Türkiyem and play for the second team. The first team plays in the Regionalliga, which is the third division for women.

And which position?

The six, defensive midfield.

I heard you have to be smart because you have to think ahead about the game.

Well, you have to be football-smart, I'd say. You need to have an overview of the field, you have to see open spaces, and you can't just think about your own situation. I'd say you have to consider what other players are doing. That requires a bit of multitasking. And you have to be able to get off the ball and communicate with the other players.