Helmut Stritzinger from Münzbach (Austria) visited Team South Africa and shares his experiences on the trip and their commitment to the worldwide fistball family.

You will often hear the word solidarity, when talking about fistball. I could convince myself of this strong family spirit among others at a tournament in Porto Alegre 2002 and 2009 at training sessions in Blumenau and Rosario, where I could really enjoy the South American fistball magic. Over the years we had several international fistball guest visiting our club Union Münzbach or even playing championships as well.

Due to my job I had the opportunity to visit the South African team in Cape Town and Facebook really helped me a lot on this. I just messaged the big boss of the South African Fistball Association, Leif Petersen, if I could turn up for practice as fistball-expatriate.

Luckily their Fistivus festival – which the fistball championship of Cape Town, with 6 team battling each other on the court – took place on my free weekend. Fun was a big part of the tournament, but everybody wanted to get the sought-after trophy and home-brewed beer.

I was enthusiastic about the Leif’s idea which started the fistball hype in South Africa. He was looking for a sport to compete on World Championship level and after long online research he found out about our sport. His brother is still Australian citizen and so they played against each other at the World Championship in Argentina 2015. Amazing what the idea of the Petersen brothers unleashed in Cape Town. Around the tournament relatives and friends help with the organisation and came to support the team. One sponsor sold his own beer out of his VW caravan and gave back the profit to the federation. One word – Amazing! Fun didn’t come off badly, but of the game was played by the official rules. Pitch and equipment was good, even if it wouldn’t be accepted for championships in European standards, but for Fistivus IV it was just the right thing.

That day with the players from South Africa was the funniest day on my journey for sure and I really had the feeling of being part of their team, one more proof for the spirit of the world-wide fistball family.

Unfortunately, my tactical advices and trick didn’t pay off at the World Championship, regarding the final ranking. But I’m sure that we will see the South African at the next WC in Switzerland 2019. I’m really impressed by the work of Leif and his fistball crew, as they stepped in to host the Men’s World Cup in Cape Town 2016. This is another clear proof for their fistball passion and dedication for the sport on international level.

FIST ON – See you soon!

IFA U18 Fistball World Championship Germany 2016 has 3,850 spectators
The IFA U18 Fistball World Championship for women and men in Nürnberg-Eibach, with six participating teams from three continents, ended with a double victory by defending champion Germany. Germany defeated Brazil 4:2 in the women’s finals (14:15; 11:06, 11:04, 09:11, 14:12, 11:08), and the German men’s team defeated Austria in the finals, also 4:2 (12:10, 11:04, 06:11, 11:06, 07:11, 11:04). In the small finals, Switzerland won third place among the women’s teams, and Brazil took third among the men.
Austria’s U18 men played convincingly in every game up to the finals, raising expectations for their performance in the final match against Germany. It seemed like they had a chance against the host team in the preliminary round. Things looked good at the beginning of the first set, with the Austrians quickly pulling ahead 9:5. But Team Austria was unable to seal the deal. Germany took the lead and then the victory, 12:10. This anticlimactic finish was followed by a 11:04 set loss.
But then the Austrians cranked it up, taking the third set 11:06. It was relatively clear that set four was back in German hands. The Germans got better from one point to the next against the Austrians, and showed a clear improvement in performance over the previous World Championship matches. With a score of 11:06, the fourth set was a relatively clear victory for them. In the fifth set, the Austrians remembered their strengths again and fought for the 11:07 set win.
Germany dominated the next set once again, however. While Austria’s lack of concentration kept growing with the increasing set length, with the team even accumulating unforced errors, Germany played outstandingly in front of 1,350 spectators, leaving little doubt that they wouldn’t let this set, and with it the match, slip out of their hands again. They scored the match point, 10:4. Germany won the World Championship Final easily, 4:2 in sets.

In the exciting final of the women’s U18, the defending champion Germany was able to take the victory with their two Eibacher players Sonja Schröder and Auguste Grothoff. Their 4:2 win may look like an easy victory, but the match itself was much more exciting. The first and fifth sets were particularly close, at 14:15 and 14:12.

Overall, 3,850 spectators came out to the spacious grounds in Nuremberg-Eibach during the four event days. Every match on the center court was broadcast live on the Internet and additionally the event had a TV coverage of 14:30 minutes including a 8:38 minutes TV live coverage on German Television. IFA President Karl Weiss said at the presentation ceremony that this was the “best U18 World Cup ever” and thanked the organizers and volonteers from TV Eibach 03 for their great commitment. The IFA U18 World Championships are held every two years.

Men:
Final: Germany – Switzerland 4:2
(12:10, 11:4, 6:11, 11:6, 7:11, 11:4)
Bronze Medal Match: Brazil – Switzerland 4:0
(11:8, 11:8, 11:8, 11:6)

Final Ranking:
1. Germany
2. Austria
3. Brazil
4. Switzerland
5. India

Women:
Final: Brazil – Germany 2:4
(15:14, 6:11, 4:11, 11:9, 12:14, 8:11).
Bronze Medal Match: Austria – Switzerland 3:4
(15:14, 12:14, 11:6, 11:9, 9:11, 7:11, 12:14).

Final Ranking:
1. Germany
2. Brazil
3. Switzerland
4. Austria
5. USA
6. India