"Bye-bye, Birgit" is the motto chosen for Birgit Prinz's testimonial match scheduled to take place in the Frankfurt Volksbank-Stadion on 27 March 2012 (kick-off 18:00, broadcast live on Eurosport) that is going to pit the German national women's team against 1. FFC Frankfurt.
Having taken some time out after Germany's ill-fated World Cup 2011 tournament, the long-time Germany striker, now aged 34, has decided to hang up her boots after a magnificent career that saw her win two World Cups, five European Championships, three Olympic Games bronze medals, an incredible eight "Player of the Year" awards given by the German Association of Sports Journalists, not to forget numerous club football trophies and personal honours. In this first instalment of a special series celebrating Birgit's priceless contribution to the game, DFB.de looks at her influence on the younger generation of players.
A source of inspiration
On 27 July 1994, Svenja Huth was a lively three-and-a-half-year-old whose interest in football was, well, non-existent. Also, the fact that on that day, the German national women's team played thousands of miles away to Canada, is likely to have gone unnoticed in the Huth household, so little Svenja didn't register that only minutes after coming on as a substitute at Montreal, a young player by the name of Prinz scored Germany's winning goal to make it 2-1. But it was only a matter of time before Svenja Huth would take notice of Birgit Prinz as a role model, if not a source of inspiration.
"Closely followed her career"
"It must have been when I was twelve that I began to watch Birgit Prinz very closely, I always knew how she was getting on in the league or with the national team," says 21-year-old Svenja, an Under-20 World Cup winner in 2010. She can't remember any key event, though, which may have to do with the fact that Birgit Prinz's career was studded with memorable moments - at Svenja's age today, she had already won 50 caps for Germany, celebrated two European Championships, one World Cup runners-up place, and one Olympic Games participation.
Anyone who at the time was only remotely interested in German women's football would sooner rather than later run into Birgit Prinz, which - in Svenja's case - was a quite literal running-into as her hometown of Alzenau is only a 30 minutes' drive from Frankfurt, where 1. FFC Frankfurt play their home fixtures at the legendary stadium am Brentanobad, an oasis-like outdoor pool and recreation centre. "I got my parents to take me there and watched quite a few matches from the stands, keeping my fingers crossed for Birgit, admiring her on the pitch," says Svenja who, measuring in at 1.63 m (five feet four inches), is more of a dribbler than a typical target striker.
Once-weekly training sessions
"I was mightily impressed," she continues, "after all, Birgit was a national team player, a World Footballer of the Year no less. It was just great watching her shield the ball, release her team-mates and score goals herself."
Soon enough, Svenja Huth found herself actually training together with Birgit Prinz. Before the 2005-06 season, she had left home club FC Bayern Alzenau for 1. FFC Frankfurt's youth academy, where up-and-coming players are given the opportunity to "serve" as sparring partners for the senior (German women's Bundesliga) team. "It was a dream come true - all of a sudden, you're competing against all those national team players. I loved every minute of it!"
"Perfect role model"
"There was absolutely zero patronising going on, I was made to feel part of the team from Day One, and Birgit herself was very open and easy-going, giving advice, teaching me tricks, and always available to talk about football. In my eyes, she was the perfect role model," remembers Svenja.
Grow and mature with a little help from the World Footballer
As Svenja got older and once-weekly on-pitch sessions had turned into regular training, she noticed how much she benefited from Birgit's experience. "Every drill, every little pointer makes you a little better, so I always try to soak up as much as I can," says Svenja Huth, praising her team-mates' quality. "At FFC Frankfurt, club training is top-notch in all respects - skills, technique, tackling, and tactics. It's helped me mature as a player!"
And mature she did, winning the 2008 U17 European Championship before claiming the U20 World Cup trophy in 2010. Having made the grade into the senior national team in 2011, she has won six full caps for Germany and hopes for many more to come. "I won't forget where I'm coming from," she says. "It's a great pity - I'd have loved to play alongside Birgit for much longer as we were a good pair on the pitch. But I'm grateful I was allowed to live my dream."
created by dfb
[bild1]
"Bye-bye, Birgit" is the motto chosen for Birgit Prinz's testimonial match scheduled to take place in the Frankfurt Volksbank-Stadion on 27 March 2012 (kick-off 18:00, broadcast live on Eurosport) that is going to pit the German national women's team against 1. FFC Frankfurt.
Having taken some time out after Germany's ill-fated World Cup 2011 tournament, the long-time Germany striker, now aged 34, has decided to hang up her boots after a magnificent career that saw her win two World Cups, five European Championships, three Olympic Games bronze medals, an incredible eight "Player of the Year" awards given by the German Association of Sports Journalists, not to forget numerous club football trophies and personal honours. In this first instalment of a special series celebrating Birgit's priceless contribution to the game, DFB.de looks at her influence on the younger generation of players.
A source of inspiration
On 27 July 1994, Svenja Huth was a lively three-and-a-half-year-old whose interest in football was, well, non-existent. Also, the fact that on that day, the German national women's team played thousands of miles away to Canada, is likely to have gone unnoticed in the Huth household, so little Svenja didn't register that only minutes after coming on as a substitute at Montreal, a young player by the name of Prinz scored Germany's winning goal to make it 2-1. But it was only a matter of time before Svenja Huth would take notice of Birgit Prinz as a role model, if not a source of inspiration.
"Closely followed her career"
"It must have been when I was twelve that I began to watch Birgit Prinz very closely, I always knew how she was getting on in the league or with the national team," says 21-year-old Svenja, an Under-20 World Cup winner in 2010. She can't remember any key event, though, which may have to do with the fact that Birgit Prinz's career was studded with memorable moments - at Svenja's age today, she had already won 50 caps for Germany, celebrated two European Championships, one World Cup runners-up place, and one Olympic Games participation.
Anyone who at the time was only remotely interested in German women's football would sooner rather than later run into Birgit Prinz, which - in Svenja's case - was a quite literal running-into as her hometown of Alzenau is only a 30 minutes' drive from Frankfurt, where 1. FFC Frankfurt play their home fixtures at the legendary stadium am Brentanobad, an oasis-like outdoor pool and recreation centre. "I got my parents to take me there and watched quite a few matches from the stands, keeping my fingers crossed for Birgit, admiring her on the pitch," says Svenja who, measuring in at 1.63 m (five feet four inches), is more of a dribbler than a typical target striker.
Once-weekly training sessions
"I was mightily impressed," she continues, "after all, Birgit was a national team player, a World Footballer of the Year no less. It was just great watching her shield the ball, release her team-mates and score goals herself."
Soon enough, Svenja Huth found herself actually training together with Birgit Prinz. Before the 2005-06 season, she had left home club FC Bayern Alzenau for 1. FFC Frankfurt's youth academy, where up-and-coming players are given the opportunity to "serve" as sparring partners for the senior (German women's Bundesliga) team. "It was a dream come true - all of a sudden, you're competing against all those national team players. I loved every minute of it!"
"Perfect role model"
"There was absolutely zero patronising going on, I was made to feel part of the team from Day One, and Birgit herself was very open and easy-going, giving advice, teaching me tricks, and always available to talk about football. In my eyes, she was the perfect role model," remembers Svenja.
Grow and mature with a little help from the World Footballer
As Svenja got older and once-weekly on-pitch sessions had turned into regular training, she noticed how much she benefited from Birgit's experience. "Every drill, every little pointer makes you a little better, so I always try to soak up as much as I can," says Svenja Huth, praising her team-mates' quality. "At FFC Frankfurt, club training is top-notch in all respects - skills, technique, tackling, and tactics. It's helped me mature as a player!"
And mature she did, winning the 2008 U17 European Championship before claiming the U20 World Cup trophy in 2010. Having made the grade into the senior national team in 2011, she has won six full caps for Germany and hopes for many more to come. "I won't forget where I'm coming from," she says. "It's a great pity - I'd have loved to play alongside Birgit for much longer as we were a good pair on the pitch. But I'm grateful I was allowed to live my dream."
