Fitschen on World Cup mission: "Excited to finally get going"

Germany started to prepare for the World Cup in Canada (6th June – 5th July 2015) at a training camp in Switzerland today. 26 players travelled with the squad for the last training camp ahead of the competition and Silvia Neid will name her 23-strong squad on Whit Sunday. The side will then face Switzerland on the 27th May in Baden, Switzerland. DFB.de caught up with general manager Doris Fitschen to talk about the team’s preparations, Simone Laudehr‘s return, challenges ahead and title ambitions.

DFB.de: Preparation for the World Cup is under way in Switzerland. How excited are you?

Doris Fitschen: Really excited. We’ve been planning this camp for months on end and now we can get going.

DFB.de: Simone Laudehr suffered a lateral collateral ligament strain in Frankfurt’s victory in the Champions League final. How is she?

Fitschen: Her left knee is better. Our medical department have completed a thorough examination and she will receive the necessary treatment in the coming days. We hope that she’ll be able to join in team training during the week.

DFB.de: What’s on the schedule for the next few days?

Fitschen: The first two days are about recovery. The players have been subjected to different workloads and levels of pressure over the course of the season. We’ll treat individuals accordingly. We also want to work on technical and tactical elements of the game.

DFB.de: Do you think the fact that the season is so long could pose a problem for the players who now have to immediately switch their focus to the national team?

Fitschen: Absolutely not. The World Cup only comes around every four years and taking part is something really special for each player. Being crowned World Champion is the greatest possible achievement in football. Now that our preparations are under way, you can really sense the excitement and enthusiasm amongst the players.

DFB.de: Why did you decide to go to Switzerland for the training camp?

Fitschen: We have the optimum training conditions here because we need to prepare on artificial turf. The surface here is exactly the same as what we’ll play on in Canada. That was one of the crucial and decisive selection criteria. It also means that we’ll come up against an ambitious opponent for our last international friendly ahead of travelling to the tournament. The match will also take place on artificial turf.

DFB.de: Switzerland are playing in their first World Cup …

Fitschen: Correct. This shows that they have developed a lot recently. They beat Sweden 3-1 recently.

DFB.de: What difficulties did you have in planning for the tournament?

Fitschen: The size of Canada is challenging! The tournament’s motto “From coast to coast” has created a lot of work – after all, we have to work out which mode of transport is best to cover the huge distance between matches and the five time zones. It’s hard to have a set location – we had to find hotels in each city and react to what the others sides have done.

DFB.de: Strong partnerships will also help your cause – how is the team backed?

Fitschen: We have a lot of people on our side. Henkel recently became our fourth premium partner. Our partners have created a number of campaigns focussed on us, which has helped bring the topic of the Germany women’s team into the public conscience.

DFB.de: Can you give specific examples?

Fitschen: Since April we’ve featured in a lot of Commerzbank’s promotional material. Our main partner, Allianz, started their World Cup campaign today. They’re promoting the tournament using #Titeltraum (Dreaming of the title) in order to bring players and fans together. A team from the company will accompany us throughout the tournament and using a portable studio will attempt to bring the fans close to the action.

DFB.de: What are you hoping for in the coming weeks?

Fitschen: I hope that preparation for the tournament goes smoothly, that a strong team sprit develops, the tournament is embraced by the supporters and that we’re not returning home before July…