Football of the women in Cuba – “There was a lot more like a community”

How often do you play football a week?

We train twice a week at Türkiyemspor and have games at the weekend. But with a few friends I am now training with the C-boys, they are two years younger than we are. We can learn a few other things.

To what extent is the boys’ football differ from yours?

Women’s football is more structured, I think it is more based on tactics. In men’s football it is more physical, the game runs faster. In addition, the players may be a bit more technical. But that is very general now.

And what is the handling? A lot is roared with boys football. Is that better in the girls’ leagues?

I would say that is pretty much the same. Aggressiveness is played down a bit among the girls, but is actually the same. The conflicts on the square are not so different in our games than with the boys.

In winter you were with a teammate from Türkiyemspor to play football in Cuba. There you were still sixteen and you drove without adults … sounds exciting.

My former trainer always spends the winter months in Cuba. With friends she built a sports project there. Once a week they offer football for girls of all ages. So far there is hardly any Cuba. The women who play football there really had to fight for it. I think they want to make it easier for the younger ones now.

In Cuba, baseball and boxing are tough.

Yes, football is still pretty new. And the women’s national team has not been there for so long.

What was your most important motivation? Did you want to get to know Cuba or should you train the Cuban girls?

Both a bit. And we wanted to visit our old trainer. But training the girls was a challenge for us. My Spanish wasn’t that good yet. At home we actually only talk German and Baskisch.

You also trained with the national indoor soccer team.

Yes, the “futsal” is a little more common in Cuba because it is reminiscent of street football. People kick more on concrete floor. There are also quite a few halls that are really good. So with wooden floors that have now come down a bit, but must have been really good in the past. I would say there are many people who have only played in the hall so far.

You also got to know the right national team.

Yes, we also played with the regular U20 women’s national team. But there are no so many women’s teams that play field football.

In Havana you did not live in the hotel, but with Cubans in the house. Of course you get more of everyday life. What did you notice first?

The old cars, of course. The taxis in which you sit with a lot of people and which you have to stop with hand signals. I also found people more open. Much more felt like a community than in Berlin.

There is also great deficiency in Cuba. Didn’t that affect you?

We only noticed the power failure once. In the area where my trainer lives, this happened more often – but not in our area. It wasn’t really bad either. Most of the time, the power failures have been announced.

And that the business is empty did you not care?

It was definitely different than in Germany. When we were in the district in the state supermarket, there was actually nothing. Some shops really only sold one product. There are also shops where you get more, but things are much more expensive. I found the markets pretty cool. You actually get everything you need.

Many young people have emigrated from Cuba in recent years. Was that an issue for your teammates? Did they tell you want to go too?

No, we didn’t talk about it. But my trainer said that many of the younger players left.

Balls, sports shoes or jerseys are also not so easy in Cuba. How did the players do that?

This is also a project of my trainer. She regularly takes shirts from Türkiyemspor when she flies from Germany to Cuba. Or second-hand football shoes. We did that too. We had a lot of sports things from our club in our luggage and distributed them there.

Have you actually made excursions out of the city?

Of course, we are on the beach twice …

And which sea is better: Caribbean or Basque Atlantic?

Difficult to say that the sea is completely different. In Cuba the water was so turquoise colors and very quiet. We actually always have strong waves in the Basque Country. I think both are great, but the Seegang in the Atlantic is very special.

What did your teammates say at Türkiyem when you were back? Do they want to make such a trip now?

It wasn’t such a big topic. When we came back, the school had started again and we didn’t have so much time to talk. I also train the D-youth before my own training … But I could imagine that the others have now felt like it.

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

Yes, I started last year. I always do this before my own training. And at the weekend I also look after the team at the games.

Then you have no life next to football.

It’s not that bad – both training sessions are on the same days, so only two afternoons are occupied a week. Only on weekends it sometimes gets chaotic when my games are somewhere else than that of my team.

Women’s football is greater than in Germany in the Basque Country. Do you look at what’s going on in the Spanish league?

So honestly, I don’t see that much women’s football. Maybe it’s not so good to promote it, but men’s football is just more present … I have Barcelona a bit in view, that’s probably the best women’s team. And Athletic Bilbao is not bad either. The promotion of women’s football is much larger in Spain than in Germany. At Hertha BSC, for example, they started it very late.

How should you go on football?

I will come to the adults next year. I want to stay with Türkiyem and play in the second team. The first team plays in the regional league. This is the third division for women.

And which position?

The six, defensive midfield.

I heard that you have to be smart because you have to think the game forward.

Well, you have to be a soccer slae, I would say. You need an overview of the field, you have to see vacancies and not only think of your own things. I would say you have to think about what other players do. This requires a bit of multi-tasking. And you have to be able to detach yourself from the ball and communicate with the other players.