The Volksstimme speaks to athletes about memorable competitions as players and as spectators.
Irxleben l Sport creates a variety of emotions in different situations. Every athlete is annoyed about a lost game or a failed run. The victory over the current leader of the regional league is celebrated with pride after the final with beer and bratwurst. Anyone who has been involved in sports for many years and watched as a spectator has experienced countless victories and defeats. Stories about these events can fill evenings. Because everyone has something to say about their most beautiful or saddest game. Sometimes the result doesn’t even play a role. Some athletes managed to get close to professional careers, others managed to beat the FCM as ambitious recreational footballers. Volksstimme spoke to athletes from the Bördekreis about their most beautiful or most emotional game that they have played as an active player and also wanted to know something about their sporting highlight in the role of the spectator.
Best experience as a spectator
My first visit to the Westfalenstadion stadium in Dortmund was definitely a great experience. I can no longer say exactly who Borussia played against, but that event was around 25 years ago. I don’t have a great affinity with BVB myself, but my sister, who has lived in Dortmund for several years, gave birth to the idea of going to a home game.
Together with my best friends, including Steffen Rau, we promptly received tickets for the south stand. The feeling of standing in the Yellow Wall with so many followers was simply impressive. That was an experience that was never known.
I still remember that BVB ultimately won this game and that total strangers were hugging each other after the final whistle. The atmosphere in this stadium was simply amazing.
Best experience as an athlete
I would like to mention an experience as a trainer. After the end of my active playing career, I’ve been active as a trainer for ten years. In the 2016/17 season, when I was the coach of SV Irxleben, my team played an outstanding national league series.
We surprised ourselves, had a really strong run and were third after 30 matchdays.
As a reward for the performance shown, after the last game day, I went straight to the plane to Mallorca to celebrate a fitting end. In the middle of the festivities I received the call on a Tuesday that after the rejection of the runner-up FC Einheit Wernigerode we could be nominated for the relegation game against Eintracht Elster on the following Saturday.
After careful consideration, the team decided unanimously to take this chance, but at the same time to continue the celebrations at Ballermann. Without training and with a little bit of residual alcohol in their blood, the following home game (0: 1) and the second leg were lost with 2: 5, but the team was a winner.
This team simply embodied commitment, passion, heart and soul and also proved to our opponents that we were a great unit. We even celebrated our defeat as if we had been promoted. Even the players from Elster joined us in the dressing room after the second leg to toast with us. A great time that I fondly remember.
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