All posts by Media Team

REICHENTHAL AND FROSCHBERG WIN TOURNAMENT IN REICHNETHAL

Last weekend, another World Tour tournament took place in Reichenthal(AUT). From 26.8-27.8, the small town in the Mühlviertel was the venue for Austria’s biggest tournament. About 35 teams fought for the victories in the men’s and women’s categories.
The tournament started on Saturday afternoon in the best fistball weather. The teams, among them numerous teams from the 1. Bundesliga, played exciting and balanced matches.

Elite Tournament Men
The elite tournament was dominated by teams from the Linz area(AUT). The teams from Froschberg and Enns(AUT) qualified for the final match on Sunday. In wet and difficult conditions, a high-class and exciting final was played. In the end, Froschberg came out on top and beat the team from Enns. The team from Linz/Urfahr took third place and bronze. With this victory, Froschberg can add another 500 points to their points account for the IFA World Tour. Enns in 2nd place and Grieskirchen(AUT) in 5th place also scored points.

Women’s Tournament 

Numerous teams from the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga were also represented in the women’s tournament. In the preliminary round, the 9 teams fought to qualify for the finals on Sunday. In the end, the home team from Reichenthal showed class and won the tournament. In the difficult conditions and rain, the Reichenthal girls won the final against the team from Münzbach. For the team from Reichenthal, this means the first 500 points for the IFA World Tour. Third place went to the ladies from Hirschbach, followed by Laakirchen and Freistadt(AUT).

Dennach and Pfungstadt winner of EFA Champions Cup

At the EFA Champions Cup in Dennach on Sunday the women of host TSV Dennach and the men of TSV Pfungstadt won the title.

The host team of Dennach defeated Ahlhorner Sportverein 3:1 ( 11:6, 10:12, 11:5, 11:7) in the North-South final in front of around 350 spectators. In the men’s competition, TSV Pfungstadt beat the Austrians from Union Tigers Vöcklabruck 3:1 (4:11, 14:12, 11:6, 12:10) in a hard-fought final.

There were also two German teams in the women’s small final. Here TV Jahn Schneverdingen won against TV Segnitz with 3:0 (11:9, 11:6, 11:9). Bronze in the men’s event went to Union Compact Freistadt with a 3:0 (12:10, 11:7, 11:9) win over Faustball Widnau from Switzerland.

For two days, Europe’s top club teams were guests in Dennach. Participating teams in the women’s competition besides the hosts from TSV Dennach as German runner-up were TV Jahn Schneverdingen cup defender and German champion, SVD Diepoldsau-Schmitter as national champion of Switzerland, Union Haidlmair Schwingenschuh Nußbach as national champion of Austria, TSV Jona as runner-up of Switzerland, Union Freistadt as runner-up of Austria, TV Segnitz as third place at the German championship and Ahlhorner SV as DM fourth.

In the men’s competition, the field of participants was smaller. Here DM winner TSV Pfungstadt started as the only German representative. Faustball Widnau (SUI) and the Austrians from Union Freistadt and Tigers Vöcklabruck completed the field of participants.

NOVO HAMBURGO AND SOGIPA WIN MAJOR TOURNAMENT IN WIDNAU

From 11 to 13 August, the 64th international Grenzland tournament took place in Widnau (CH).In the categories men’s elite, A, B and seniors, women’s A and B as well as in numerous junior categories, 110 teams from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Brazil and Belgium competed for the victories.The annual border tournament opened with an international match between the men’s national teams from Switzerland and Austria.After 6 exciting sets, Austria won this international match.In preparation for the Women’s European Championship from 18-19 August in Grieskirchen (AUT), a women’s international match also took place on Saturday evening. In the end, after a balanced performance, the Swiss national team won 4:1 against the Austrians.

Elite Tournament Men; Day 1

Saturday morning it was showtime for the men’s teams (Elite, A, B and Seniors). In hot temperatures, the first round of the Elite Tournament started. After the first day of play and the group matches of the preliminary round, the top 3 from each of the four groups of 6 qualified for the final round on Sunday. The fourth to sixth-placed teams continued in the “Wasi Cup” on Sunday.

Day 2

12 teams now competed in the final round for a place in the semi-finals/finals. In the first semi-final, the teams from Novo Hamburgo (BRA) and Freistadt (AUT) faced each other. The Brazilians won this semi-final with a clear 2:0 and thus entered the final. The second semi-final was a little closer. The teams from Vöcklabruck (AUT) and Pfungstadt (GER) had an exciting head-to-head race, with the better end for the Tigers from Vöcklabruck.

The final was Vöcklabruck against Novo Hamburgo. Both teams started very strongly in this final and offered the numerous spectators spectacular rallies and moves. Despite set point for Vöcklabruck, the boys from Novo Hamburgo won the first set 12:10. In the second set, the Brazilians were ahead from the start. With a clear 4:11 the deciding set and thus also the victory of the 64th International Borderland Tournament went to the team from Novo Hamburgo. The victory in the Wasi Cup went to the team from Neuendorf (GER), followed by Kremsmünster (AUT) and Widnau. (CH)

After this Major tournament, the cards were also reshuffled in the IFA World Tour Ranking. Novo Hamburgo remains clearly in first place for the time being. Vöcklabruck and Club Merces (BRA) are behind them. UFG Grieskirchen Pötting (AUT) moved up to 4th place after the tournament and the team from Enns (AUT) also made it into the Top 10.

Women’s Tournament 

The women’s competition also started on Sunday. In the A tournament, 12 teams from Switzerland, Austria, Brazil and Germany fought for victory. The Austrian national team of the women and the U21 were also represented. The preliminary round was played in 2 groups of 6 teams each. After the group matches, the first and second placed teams of each group qualified for the semi-finals.

In the first semi-final, the women from Sogipa (BRA) met the women from Kreuzlingen (CH). They finally had to admit defeat to the Brazilians. Sogipa managed to enter the final, as they had done in Jona (CH). After winning the semi-final against the team from Diepoldsau (CH), Dennach also qualified for the final.

In bright sunshine, the two teams from Dennach (GER) and Sogipa then started the final at 14:30. Dennach started very well in the first set and was able to take a good lead at the beginning. The Brazilians, however, did not let the deficit worry them and took the lead from halfway through the first set and won it. The Sogipa women took the momentum from set one into the second set. After strong attacks and defensive actions by both teams and good rallies, Dennach finally had to admit defeat with a score of 2:0. After winning the Major Tournament in Jona, Sogipa also won the second 1000-point tournament in Switzerland.

The Brazilians are now in first place in the IFA World Tour Ranking with a lead of over 1000 points.After this weekend, there have also been some changes in the women’s World Tour Ranking. With a plus of 450 points in Widnau, the young team from Elgg (CH) managed to jump to second place. Two other Swiss teams, Kreuzlingen and Diepoldsau, also moved up in the ranking after the weekend. And the ladies from Dennach are now also in 5th place in the ranking after this weekend.

DOUBLE VICTORY FOR SOGIPA

 

The Obersee Masters in Jona (CH) took place for the 58th time last weekend.

More than 60 teams from 9 different nations took part in the categories men A/B/C and women as well as in the junior competitions U10/U12 and U14/U16. In addition to the Major Tournament, another highlight took place in Jona with the U21 European Championship for Men.

Men’s Elite Tournament

Despite partly difficult weather conditions and recurring rain, especially on Sundays, the 20 teams from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Namibia, Brazil and Argentina played spectacular matches and exciting matches. In the final, two Brazilian teams faced each other. The team from Sogipa (BRA) dominated the semi-final against the home team from Jona (CH) and the young team from Novo Hamburgo (BRA) also came out on top in the semi-final against the defending champions Diepoldsau (CH).

With a 2:0 and a thrilling comeback in the 2nd set, Sogipa finally won the final and thus the elite men’s tournament.

In the match for 3rd/4th place, Diepoldsau beat the team from Jona.

Points for the World Tour will go not only to the team from Novo Hamburgo but also to the teams from Calw, Kellinghusen, Vaihingen (DE), Grieskirchen and Enns (AUT).

Women’s tournament

In the women’s A tournament on Saturday, the teams from Germany, Austria, Brazil, Switzerland and the US played against each other.

Already in the preliminary round, the team from Sogipa (BRA) was the favourite. The Brazilians were able to enter the final undefeated. The women from Diepoldsau (CH) also qualified for the final. However, the women from Reihntal had to admit defeat with a clear 2:0 and Sogipa could win the women’s tournament of the Obersee Masters again after 13 years.

There was a purely Swiss duel in the match for 3rd and 4th place, in which Kreuzlingen won clearly against the young team from Elgg/Ettenhausen.

 

Germany wins Women’s European Championship and secures place for Chengdu

The European Women’s Fistball Championship took place on 18th and 19th August in Grieskirchen, Upper Austria. Germany won the final against Austria 3:0 and defended its title from 2019. Furthermore, Germany secured with the victory its place for The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China.

Teams from eight European Fistball nations competed for the prestigious European Championship title on 18 August (preliminary round) and 19 August (final day) at the Grieskirchen Fistball Centre.
The Austrian selection had to face the title holder from Germany as well as the teams from Serbia and Switzerland in their preliminary round group. In the second preliminary group, Italy, Belgium, Denmark and Poland fought for a good starting position for the quarter-final round on the following day. The fact that it once again came down to a “dream final” between the red-white-red aces and their neighbours from Germany was to be expected in view of the performances in the preliminary round.

The hosts immediately found their way into the match at the beginning of the first set and were able to challenge the title holder. However, the Austrians did not manage to win the first set. In the second set, Austria took a 3:0 lead, but after a German timeout, Germany came back into the game and started to catch up. In a thrilling duel for this set, the Austrian team failed to convert four set points. Thus, Germany also won the second set by an extremely narrow margin of 14:12. Svenja Schröder, who was also voted “Woman of the Match”, scored constantly on the right side. After the second set, Austria again showed a lot of fighting spirit and tried to turn the match around. Germany did not let Austria get back into the match, remaining unbeaten in every final of a major event since 2013 and crowning themselves European champions once again.

Switzerland beats Serbia in Bronze Medal Match

The bronze medal was won by the Swiss national team with a convincing victory over Serbia. Despite the disappointing defeat in the semi-final against Austria, the Swiss women found their motivation again and went into the match with determination. Although the Serbians held their own in the beginning, Switzerland won the first set with a convincing 11:4, also due to several service errors on the part of the Serbians.
In the second set, Serbia tried to get back into the game with a lot of risk. Nevertheless, the Swiss national team showed concentration and secured this set clearly.
Serbia then failed to find its way back into the match, while the Swiss women retained the upper hand and were able to celebrate their bronze medal.

In the match for 5th place, Denmark and Poland dueled. The first set was even, exciting and hard-fought. It was not until extra time that Denmark won the set 15:14.
Due to a medical incident that led to a substitution in the Danish team, they were not able to continue their performance from the previous set. The Polish team took advantage of this opportunity and won the match clearly.
Belgium secured the seventh place. The exhausting match with long rallies between Belgium and Italy was very even for a long time, but finally the Belgians won 3:2. The young Italians put up a good fight but were not rewarded for their tireless efforts and finished the European Championships in 8th place.

Final results:
1. Germany
2. Austria
3. Switzerland
4. Serbia
5. Poland
6. Denmark
7. Belgium
8. Italy

It’s 2 years to go to The World Games 2025!

Did you know that already the first Fistball players qualified at IFA 2023 Fistball Men’s World Championship in Mannheim to compete in Chengdu?

4 out of 8 teams are already qualified: Germany, Austria, Brazil and Switzerland!

IFA World Games selection and qualification criteria

The qualification mode, which was already decided in 2018, first provides for a qualification of the continental champions, provided that at least 3 teams participate in this continental championship. If we assume three continental championships as well as a host starting place for China, currently only the TOP 4 teams of the World Championships are definitely qualified for the World Games.

If the continental champion e.g. for Europe comes from these TOP 4, place 5 moves up. If Brazil wins the South American Championship, place 6 moves up and so on.

This procedure was chosen in order to have representatives from at least three continents at the World Games.

#RoadtoChengdu #WeareTheWorldGames #TWG2025

IFA Board of Directors re-elected at IFA 2023 Congress

The IFA Board of Directors was re-elected at the IFA 2023 Congress on the sidelines of the 16th IFA Men’s Fistball World Championship in Mannheim. The World Championship has set new standards. Germany won the World Championship title for the fourth time in a row.

The 51-year-old President Jörn Verleger from Germany, who has lead the world federation since 2019, was unanimously re-elected together with his the Board of Directors. Vice-President is Dr. Giana Hexsel from Brazil, Secretary General Christoph Oberlehner from Austria, Treasurer Franz Peter Iten from Switzerland and Chairman of the Sports Commission Gastao Englert from Brazil. The 11-member presidium now includes eight nationalities. Around a third of the positions are held by women.

It was the spectacular Fistball festival that athletes and fans had been looking forward to for months. After the preliminary round matches and the quarterfinals in Mannheim’s Rhein-Neckar Stadium, the finals in the SAP Arena were the sporting and emotional highlight of this world championship. Germany as host made history. An indoor final round and on natural grass – that has never happened before.

“This was a terrific World Championship in a whole new dimension. We have all never experienced such an atmosphere,” said Verleger. “The project to move the turf to a multi-sport arena has worked out. We saw the possibilities and potential of the sport of Fistball.”

For eight days, the best 16 nations from every continent promoted their sport. More than 30,000 spectators flocked to the Rhein-Neckar Stadium during the World Championship week and to the SAP Arena on the final weekend. In front of a record crowd of 10,000 spectators, Germany celebrated its fourth consecutive World Championship title.

More than 500 volunteers were on hand to provide guests from around the world with an unforgettable event. One of the highlights off the pitch was School’s Day on the third day of the preliminary round, when 2,700 children and young people created an exuberant atmosphere.

“The arena was unique in terms of presenting our sport. This was a Fistball spectacle that the teams created together with the fans that will be remembered for a long time.”

For Verleger, who together with Secretary General Christoph Oberlehner from Austria, was one of the driving forces behind the successful World Championship project, it will be the last four-year term of office, as a change to the statutes with a maximum term of office of eight years was also adopted at the Congress on the proposal of the Board of Directors.

Germany impressively to the 13th world championship title

The new and old world champion is Germany, who impressively lived up to their role as favorites in front of their home crowd. For the record world champions, this is already the fourth title in a row, the 13th overall. The team around superstar Patrick Thomas did not give Austria a chance in the final and scored a clear 4:0 victory. “There is nothing greater than winning a World Championship at home,” said Thomas, who like captain Fabian Sagstetter celebrated his fourth World Championship triumph. “We worked hard all year for this title. We’re really happy that we made it. It was extremely fun to play here, the atmosphere was insane,” said Sagstetter happily.

INTERACT+ partner meeting and Theory of Action Building Seminar

On July 11th, the 3rd INTERACT+ partner meeting took place online. The partner meeting was necessary to discuss the already achieved deliverables, the general progress and development of the project, and future steps to achieve the project. One highlight of the partner meeting was the presentation of the first successful training of the trainer workshop, which took part throughout June. The Train the Trainers Workshop held under the INTERACT+ project provided a vital platform for building the capacity of trainers representing a wide range of International Sport Organisations. The workshop aimed to equip these trainers with the necessary knowledge and skills to deliver capacity-building workshops as part of the project’s next phase, extending until 2025. In total, 15 trainers from 8 different International or National Sport Organisations participated in the training.

The INTERACT+ partner meeting was followed by the second Theory of Action Building Seminar Led by the University of Limerick. Next to the INTERACT+ partner organisations, the Theory of Action Building Seminar was joined by participants of the INTERACT+ Advisory Board. The Advisory Board comprises 16 International Sport Organisations that support and guide the project partners in developing and implementing the project. Based on the learnings from a literature review and recommendations produced by the former INTERACT project, this mapping aims to produce an evidence-based theory of action for International Sport Organisations and National Federations to promote Sport for All.

 

Showtime at the Leondinger Open

From 14-16 July the annual Leondinger Open tournament took place. At a hot 36 degrees Celsius, numerous teams from Brazil, Austria, New Zealand and Poland played unbelievably exciting matches.

The tournament started on Friday with an exhibition in preparation for the upcoming big events. The men’s national teams from Brazil and New Zealand as well as the Austrian U21 national team used the opportunity to prepare for the World Championship in Mannheim (Germany) and the U21 European Championship in Jona (Switzerland).

On day 2 it was showtime for 12 teams in the men’s competition and 8 teams in the women’s competition. Also represented were national teams from Brazil, New Zealand, Austria (U21 women, U18 men) and Poland (women and men).
In the exciting final match of the men’s competition, Brazil Team A won against the team from Urfahr (Austria). Points for the IFA World Tour were awarded to the teams from Grieskirchen (4th place), Froschberg (5th place) and Enns (11th place) (Austria).

In the women’s tournament, the mixed team “Freistadt/New Zealand” took first place, followed by the U21 Team B (Austria). Bronze and 300 points went to the team from Wolkersdorf (Austria). Furthermore, the women from Urfahr (Austria) were able to collect points for the World Tour with their 5th place.

IFA celebrates OLYMPIC DAY

Today, the Olympic Day is celebrated all around the world: hundreds of thousands of people – young and old – get moving and participate in sporting and cultural activities, such as runs, exhibitions, music and educational seminars. Over the last two decades, the event has helped to spread the Olympic ideals to every corner of the world.

Olympic Day was introduced in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games on 23 June 1894 at the Sorbonne in Paris. The goal was to promote participation in sport across the globe regardless of age, gender or athletic ability.

“EVERY YEAR, OLYMPIC DAY ALLOWS THE WHOLE WORLD TO UNITE BEHIND THE OLYMPIC DREAM.”
Thomas Bach, IOC President

Move, Learn and Discover:
the three pillars of Olympic Day in Fistball

Move
let’s encourage people to get active on Olympic Day. “Move” can refer to all sports, of physical activity for people of all ages and abilities.
IFA supports the new IOC initiative ‘Let’s Move’ created with the World Health Organisation (WHO) with an invitation to make time every day for movement for better health.

Learn
Educate and learn about the role of sport in society and the “Olympic values”
In collaboration with UTS IFA runs an Olympic values driven program at the IFA 2023 Men´s World Championship in Mannheim. The focus is on engaging and empowering youth, and promoting an active and healthy lifestyle within the sporting community during the Men’s Fistball World Championships 2023.

Discover
Discover is all about people trying new sports and activities they have never done before.

Olympic values:
• Excellence – Striving for excellence
Stands for giving our best, on the field of play or in the professional arena. It is not only about winning, but also about participating, making progress towards personal goals, striving to be and to do our best in our daily lives and bene ting from the healthy combination of a strong body, mind and will.

• Respect – Demonstrating respect
This value incorporates respect for oneself, for one’s body, for others, for the rules and regulations, and for sport and the environment. Related to sport, respect stands for fair play and for the fight against doping and any unethical behavior.

• Friendship – Celebrating Friendship
This encourages us to consider sport as a tool for mutual understanding among individuals and people from around the world. Olympism inspire humanity to overcome political, economic, gender, racial and religious differences and forge friendships in spite of those differences.