School, then training, back to school and more training in the evening – it’s a busy schedule for Felicitas Rauch. With her A-Level exams coming up in April, balancing football and her education is more important than ever. A good night’s sleep in between may also be necessary, but there’s barely any time left with the weekend’s Allianz Women's Bundesliga fixtures looming. Boredom will certainly not be a problem for Rauch at the moment, after having established herself as a regular at Turbine Potsdam.
This Sunday, Turbine Potsdam visit 1. FFC Frankfurt (11:00 CET, live on DFB-TV). It's not an ordinary game, but it's an Allianz Women's Bundesliga classic. This season it’s a particularly important encounter, with both teams fighting for a Champions League spot. The loser of this match will also lose important ground in the race for the top positions in the table.
"We're ready for the second half of the season"
"We know that this is an extremely important game. We won the first clash of the season and it would be great to repeat that success," said Rauch. The 2-1 victory against FFC last September was a special moment in her career; it was her debut in the top flight. "It was great, when I was brought on with ten minutes left to play. I was nervous at first, but then experienced pure joy. The atmosphere was great and we won the game. A perfect day," she remembered.
Since then, the 18-year-old has undergone a remarkable development. The midfielder has established herself as an integral part of Turbine's starting formation. It seems as if it will stay this way after the winter break. "I feel well. Our preparation has been tough and intense, but we remained focussed at all times. I think we’re ready for the second half of the season," she said.
On some occasions Rauch must have thought she was dreaming. First, she was on the U20s World Cup in Canada last summer, playing in all six games and being a key player in the 1-0 victory over Nigeria in the final. "It was an absolute highlight for all of us. Most of us had not experienced anything like it before. It was amazing in all aspects," explained Rauch. Shortly afterwards, she managed her breakthrough in one of the best squads in European women’s football. Most importantly, none of this was a dream. It was reality.
The soon-to-be high school graduate has done well not to take any wrong turns on her journey to the top. In 2012, she featured in Turbine Potsdam team that finished the Germany U17s Championship as runners-up. She then proceeded to play for the club's second division squad, before getting the first-team call-up last summer.
Rauch knows what she wants
School, then training, back to school and more training in the evening – it’s a busy schedule for Felicitas Rauch. With her A-Level exams coming up in April, balancing football and her education is more important than ever. A good night’s sleep in between may also be necessary, but there’s barely any time left with the weekend’s Allianz Women's Bundesliga fixtures looming. Boredom will certainly not be a problem for Rauch at the moment, after having established herself as a regular at Turbine Potsdam.
This Sunday, Turbine Potsdam visit 1. FFC Frankfurt (11:00 CET, live on DFB-TV). It's not an ordinary game, but it's an Allianz Women's Bundesliga classic. This season it’s a particularly important encounter, with both teams fighting for a Champions League spot. The loser of this match will also lose important ground in the race for the top positions in the table.
"We're ready for the second half of the season"
"We know that this is an extremely important game. We won the first clash of the season and it would be great to repeat that success," said Rauch. The 2-1 victory against FFC last September was a special moment in her career; it was her debut in the top flight. "It was great, when I was brought on with ten minutes left to play. I was nervous at first, but then experienced pure joy. The atmosphere was great and we won the game. A perfect day," she remembered.
Since then, the 18-year-old has undergone a remarkable development. The midfielder has established herself as an integral part of Turbine's starting formation. It seems as if it will stay this way after the winter break. "I feel well. Our preparation has been tough and intense, but we remained focussed at all times. I think we’re ready for the second half of the season," she said.
On some occasions Rauch must have thought she was dreaming. First, she was on the U20s World Cup in Canada last summer, playing in all six games and being a key player in the 1-0 victory over Nigeria in the final. "It was an absolute highlight for all of us. Most of us had not experienced anything like it before. It was amazing in all aspects," explained Rauch. Shortly afterwards, she managed her breakthrough in one of the best squads in European women’s football. Most importantly, none of this was a dream. It was reality.
The soon-to-be high school graduate has done well not to take any wrong turns on her journey to the top. In 2012, she featured in Turbine Potsdam team that finished the Germany U17s Championship as runners-up. She then proceeded to play for the club's second division squad, before getting the first-team call-up last summer.
Rauch knows what she wants
In some ways she owes her quick rise to the top to her brother. He used to take her along to play football when they were kids. Eventually, Felicitas Rauch had no other option but to become the footballer she is. Over time, she developed the ambition play in the Bundesliga and the Champions league and become a Germany international one day. She knows exactly what she wants and her diligence, ambition, down-to-earth attitude and modesty are ideal companions on that journey.
Undoubtedly, Rauch has not reached her final destination yet and she’s more aware of this than anyone else. That's why the game against Frankfurt is so important to her personally. It will not only indicate what direction Turbine are headed, but it's also also crucial to Rauch’s future path. It could take them closer to the top teams, but they could also fall behind and find the Champions League out of their reach. On Sunday evening, they could find themselves in fourth place or they could be second.
