The Fistball World Championships 2018 is coming. For the first time in history the polish women’s national team participates at the World Championship.
We, the women of the polish team, are already training hard and preparing for the WWC. Unfortunately we have not found a coach yet and still are looking for someone, who will train and coach us through the World Championship. Maybe the person will accompany us for a few years to set up and develop polish Fistball, but that not a requirement.
We are looking for a professional Fistball player, who played in the highest league and has some experience in coaching and training teams. Our headcoach is responsible for planning training sessions, nominate the final team
and coach us at the championships from July 24th to 28th in Linz.
In return we offer you accommodation and catering at the WWC and the official polish team equipment.
Interested Fistball players shall contact Alwin Oberkersch (service@ifa-fistball.com) for further information.
Fistball tradition north of the German-Danish border
Fistball had in Denmark’s most southern part – Sønderjylland (or Nordschleswig in German, respectively North Schleswig in English) – a long tradition, in particular among the German minority.
Since 1920, North Schleswig is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Today, the German minority in North Schleswig includes about 15,000 people among a total population of 250,000, and runs kindergarten’s, schools and libraries, as well as church and social work. It publishes a newspaper and offers sports and cultural activities. The minority is represented by the Bund Deutscher Nordschleswiger. Part of the minority’s identity is to contribute to a good and trustful relationship with the Danish majority and to build bridges between Germans and Danes.
WC 2007 – the Danish national team from North Schleswig
Fistball was highly popular in the 1950s, and was played in almost every village as well as in the sports clubs of the German minority. By the end of the 1960s, Handball took increasingly over. While some clubs would sporadically participate in tournaments in Schleswig-Holstein, the quality did not reach anymore the same level as in the 1950s.
In May 1987, fistball in North Schleswig was revived, among others due to the initiative of Günter Haagensen from Tondern/Tønder as well as of some clubs, which were supported by teams from North Frisia (in particular TSV Rot-Weiß Niebüll). A year later, North Schleswig championships could again be organized, and fistball was also played at the two big summer festivals of the German minority – the Pfingstturnier and the Knivsbergfest. Furthermore, teams from North Schleswig participated from 1988 until 2007 in the league in Schleswig-Holstein (winter and summer rounds). The development of fistball in Denmark was often supported and promoted by individuals from North Schleswig, for example Hans Peter Asmussen, as well as coach Uwe Jörck and the publisher of the magazine “Faustball-Sport”, Heino Kreye (both have unfortunately died). Mr. Kreye was championing Denmark’s participation at the World Championship 1990 in Austria, which was followed by participations in 1992, 1995, 1999, 2003 and in 2007. In the latter years, coach Olaf Neuenfeld significantly contributed to an increased quality of the team. But, as in the 1960s, fistball in North Schleswig/Denmark came once again to a halt due to a lack of investment in youth.
WC 2007 – positive spirits at the end of the match, despite loss against Austria
A new start
Interest in sports is shifting, also in North Schleswig, in particular among young people – individual sports are becoming more popular at the expense of traditional team sports. In response to this, the German minority in North Schleswig has, in addition to the sports activities in clubs, initiated the concept “Team Nordschleswig – Æ Mannschaft”.
Since 2016, Team Nordschleswig – Æ Mannschaft has evolved as a success story. Having started as a sheer football selection of the German minority in Denmark, the team participated in the EUROPEADA 2016 (football European cup for minorities). While the participation was no success in sports terms, the concept proved to be successful and the enthusiasm around the concept Æ Mannschaft is planned to be expanded to two additional sports – handball and fistball. Each of the three sports would have their own strategies and sports objectives. Team Nordschleswig – Æ Mannschaft is being organized by Bund Deutscher Nordschleswiger (association of the German minority – www.bdn.dk) and Deutscher Jugendverband für Nordschleswig (sports and leisure association of the German minority – www.djfn.dk).
The number one goal in the fistball division is to sustainably build a men’s team, which would participate for Denmark in international championships within a few years. In contrast to earlier fistball initiatives, the endeavor is this time fostered in multiple ways – in terms of sports, structures and marketing, including the support of fulltime employees.
Furthermore, Team Nordschleswig – Æ Mannschaft depends on the support of enthusiastic volunteers who contribute their knowledge and experience for a sustainable revival of fistball. Hence, former national team players Kurt Asmussen and Günter Haagensen have recently met with three representatives of Team Nordschleswig to discuss the possibilities of a new start. The discussants agreed on the following:
– First would be establishment of a men’s fistball team (primarily comprised of members of the German minority)
– Support from Asmussen und Haagensen, including with the identification of a coach
– A first training camp, from September 8 to 10, 2017, at the Bildungsstätte Knivsberg, Denmark
– Participation in international championships for Denmark with the World Championship 2019 in Winterthur, Switzerland, as goal
The collaboration with the two former national team players is already ongoing, and Kurt Asmussen was able to recruit German coach Roland Schubert for the training camp in September. After this, further discussions will be held if a firm collaboration can be established. “He (i.e. Roland Schubert) will look at everything and then decide to what extent things should continue”, says Kurt Asmussen.
WC 2007 – Kurt Asmussen in form
Team Nordschleswig – Æ Mannschaft faces a difficult legacy and knows about the expectations for this revival. These expectations have to be met to allow bringing North Schleswig and Denmark again back on the radar of international fistball.
Author: Uffe Iwersen, Team Nordschleswig – Æ Mannschaft
The Chilean family Mödinger is strongly represented at the World Games in Poland
It is often said that fistball is family, and many families pass on their passion for the sport from one generation to the other. This is in particular also true for the family Mödinger from Llanquihue, Chile. For 55 years, players from the family have represented the local side Gimnástico Alemán de Llanquihue, Club Manquehue in Santiago, and the Chilean national team.
Hernan, Joaquin, Cristobal and Alvaro Mödinger at the World Games in Calí (COL) 2013
Following this tradition, four Mödinger’s will be representing Chile at the upcoming World Games in Wroclaw, Poland, where the fistball tournament is being played from July 22 – 25 – Joaquin as a coach, and, his brothers Cristobal and Alvaro, as well as their second degree cousin Eduardo as players.
Christobal Mödinger at the World Championships in Argentina 2015
All of them have been fascinated by fistball from an earlier age. “Intense, exciting, rewarding”, describes Cristobal Mödinger his passion for the sport. “It is a special sport for all the different opportunities that it brings you. For example, you could travel around the world, meet new people from other countries and cultures, and bond with them as well”, says his cousin Eduardo. One of his favorite memories is participating at his first international championship in 2000, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, “I was nine years old at that time and all my closer family and best childhood friends were there with me. We were one of the younger teams and we succeeded, we reached the second place. And now we all will be playing together at the World Games in Poland.”
Alvaro and Joaquin are playing together since their childhood days
Both Eduardo and Cristobal played for Chile at the team’s successful 2014 South American Championships campaign in Brazil. And they are in good hopes for the World Games. “Obviously, I hope we will win the World Games, but, realistically, my hopes are we could be among the best four teams”, says Eduardo. Cristobal echoes his cousin’s expectations, “My hopes are high but with moderation. We are a mature team that has played many tournaments together, and we know our strengths and weaknesses. We want to take it step by step, and our goal is to make it to the semifinals.”
The Fistball Players of the Family Mödinger at a Glance (Participating at the World Games in Wroclaw)
The Fistball Federation of Australia (FiFA) has started the search for a Head Coach!
FiFA Secretary General Chris Milne explains: “We are looking for someone who wants to spend a year in Australia and is eager to help lift our national team to the next level. As well as us old guys, we also have a few interested younger athletic types (with volleyball backgrounds) who could benefit greatly from some real fistball teaching, so hopefully we can get someone interested!”
With the support of IFA Development Director Alwin Oberkersch, they are hoping to find a coach who can run weekly training sessions in Australia and then also lead the team as Head Coach through the international Championships from July 2018 to August 2019.
The announcement is directed to fistball players with a high-level playing background and some training/teaching experience.
Interested Fistball players shall contact Alwin Oberkersch (service@ifa-fistball.com) for further information.
Interview with Ines Mayer, Chair of the IFA Athletes’ Commission
The IFA Communications Commission team spoke to Ines Mayer, Chair of the IFA Athletes’ Commission, regarding her goals as representative of the athletes.
• Name: Ines Mayer
• Age: 26
• Club: FBC ABAU Linz Urfahr
• Former Clubs: –
• National Team: AUT
• International Games for the AUT: 43
• Playing Position: Attack
• Height: 1.78m
• Successes:
o 2011, 2012, 2013 European Champion
o 2009 Youth World Champion
o 2009, 2015, 2016 Austrian Champion
Chair of the Athletes’ Commission – Ines Mayer (AUT), Picture: Stefan Gusenleitner
How did you get involved with fistball?
As my mother was also infected by the fistball-fever so I grew up with the sport and played my first match with almost 6 years. Two of my first teammates are still playing with me now. Fistball has always been part of my life and I’m sure it always will be.
Could you please describe what fascinates you about fistball?
Of course, the best of fistball is the game itself. I like the idea of the game, I love playing it and I‘m glad to be part of a team that shares this passion. Another big point for me which makes this sport so fascinating is the social fistball network in my club, in my nation and all over the world. It is an incredibly beautiful feeling to be part of the fistball community.
What are your goals as representative of the athletes?
In every system where so many people are involved exist different interests, different needs and requests. Complex decisions have to be made to enable a positive development of the sport. In this process, I see my goal to represent the view of the athletes and to bring the ideas of the players to the IFA board.
What do you expect for the international development of fistball?
I notice a fresh drive in the international fistball development. There are several renovations concerning rules, the new condition of the World Tour, grandiose events in recent years and so on. I hope that this development will continue and I like to contribute personally.
[wr_row][wr_column]Interview with Eric Kindler, Deputy Chair of the IFA Athletes’ Commission
On the occasion of the election of the IFA Athletes’ Commission’s new chair and deputy, the IFA Communications Commission team spoke to deputy chair Eric Kindler regarding his goals as representative of the athletes. He also told us about his fascination for fistball, and how he got involved with the sport.
• Name: Eric Kindler
• Date of Birth : September 26, 1991
• Club: Wisconsin Fistball Association (Rampage FC)
• Former Clubs: TuS Raiffeisen Kremsmünster (AUT)
• National Team: USA
• International Games for the USA: 35
• Playing Position: Attacker
• Height: 1.83 m
• Successes:
o 2017 US Indoor Vice-Champion
o 2016 Outdoor Austrian Champion
o 2016 US Indoor Champion
o 2015 Team USA 8th place finish at the World Championships in Argentina
Picture: Rouven Schönwandt
What are your goals as representative of the athletes?
As a representative of the fistball players around the world, I would like to give them the best situation possible for fistball. This covers aspects such as transportation to and from events all the way to ball weight and field conditions, as well as advocating fistball as a school sport. The latter is an important avenue to further support spreading our sport, and projects are underway in a number of countries to establish fistball in schools.
How did you get involved with fistball?
My Oma and Opa were a part of the group that started playing fistball regularly in Wisconsin. I grew up around the Wisconsin Fistball Association club and started playing when I was 9 years old. In 2007, my Dad was the coach of the US National Team and I was selected for the team to play at the World Championships in Germany. After this experience, my involvement in the fistball community exponentially grew. We started to make a real push to be better players in the US and in 2011 in Austria we had a significant improvement of play. This only increased at the World Championships in Argentina in 2015 by taking 8th place. With my and other international connections, I played in the Austrian league in 2016 and have only made more friends the more I have gotten around.
Could you please describe what fascinates you about fistball?
It is amazing how a sport community can be so welcoming. All across the world, fistball is family. I have been fortunate to meet many players and supporters from around the world and all of them have been extremely passionate about the sport and the people involved. Fistball has a different advantage than many sports out there. Because we are not professionals, everyone is involved for the right reasons – competition and international friendship.[/wr_column]][wr_text]
With the “IFA Fistball World Tour“, the International Fistball Association (IFA) launches a new tournament series this year which will replace the current World Cup as of 2018. This initiative will allow up to eight club teams from across the world to secure wild cards for the tournament’s final round – the World Tour Finals – where they will compete for the title against the continental champions. Furthermore, the introduction of the World Tour means an upgrade for the big club tournaments.
“The World Tour is a global series of fistball tournaments in various categories, through which club teams can secure wild cards for the World Tour Finals – the former World Cup. At the World Tour Finals, these wild card starters will be playing against the winners of the continental championships”, said Winfried Kronsteiner, chair of the IFA sports commission and initiator of the World Tour. The IFA will publish a monthly World Tour ranking.
A World Tour event may be organized by any club, in any of the Tour’s four categories (IFA Majors, IFA 750, IFA 250, and IFA 100). By the end of the year, the highest ranked teams will be participating at the World Tour Finals – together with the continental champions from Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia/Oceania.
Organizers and Club Teams Need to Apply for the World Tour
Interested organizers, including those of existing tournaments, that would like to host a World Tour event are invited to apply by February 24 via the following link.
“At the moment, we are looking for organizers of tournaments and clubs that would like to be part of the tournament series from March to October 2017. Organizers of tournaments may be IFA member associations, clubs, or cities in collaboration with a club“, stated Jörn Verleger, IFA Secretary General.
Club teams that would like to compete in the World Tour, are also invited to apply immediately NON-COMMITTALLY and FREE via the following link.
CHL – SUI 0:4 (07:11, 08:11, 08:11, 09:11)
Switzerland and the tournament’s surprise team Chile played for the bronze medal. The fans in the stadium and on the livestream witnessed excellent fistball and a great atmosphere. Eventually, the favored team from Switzerland scored a decisive four-set victory.
The young Chilean team started strong into the match, leading until midway of set one, when Switzerland seized control and won the set (11:7). The Swiss dominance continued into set two, but Chile bounced back and kept the set open before the Swiss team sealed the deal (11:8). Set three almost mirrored the events of the second set – following an early lead by the Swiss team, the Chilean squad came back but eventually lost the set again. In set four, Chile pushed hard to turn things around: we saw great rallies and the Chileans established a comfortable lead. However, at 3:7 Switzerland bounced back and eventually re-seized control, winning the fourth set with 11:9, and hence the match with 4:0.
The Swiss team hence won the bronze medal, and Chile finished fourth in the tournament. A historic achievement for the Chilean team, as they had reached the semifinals for the first time. “We are still lacking a bit of competition experience, but we gave our best and have a great, young team for the next World Championship”, said Chile’s player Constanza Mödinger after the match.
AUT – ARG 2:1 (11:7, 8:11, 11:5)
Austria and Argentina met on the last day of the tournament to play for the fifth place. We saw fascinating fistball with long rallies and a dramatic flow of events.
In the first set, Austria took the lead and pulled ahead quickly. The Argentinian team came back too late, and the set went to Austria (11:7). In set two, the Argentinians got into the game quicker, took over the lead at 3:2 and kept control throughout the set, winning it 11:8. In the decisive third set, the Argentinian squad initially took the lead. However, the Austrian team bounced back at 3:2 and sealed the deal, winning the set with 11:5.
Austria hence finished fifth in the tournament, and Argentina took home the sixth place.
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