Wednesday 29 May 2019, 15:44

Fritsch: I want to raise the profile of disability football

  • The German national cerebral palsy (CP) football team was founded in 2014

  • Head coach Conny Fritsch previously captained the side

  • Germany are competing at the World Cup in Seville in July

Every football fan can name Joachim Low and the players in his Germany side – yet Conny Fritsch can only dream of that kind of recognition. The former captain of the country’s national cerebral palsy (CP) football team was appointed as head coach in 2017.

"Unfortunately, developing the sport in Germany is not easy, as CP football is relatively unknown," the 35-year-old explained in an interview with FIFA.com. "As we no longer compete at the Paralympics, it has also been very difficult to find players and particularly sponsors. Securing sponsorship has proved almost impossible so far."

This might also be down to the fact that the team is still in its infancy. While the Nationalelf contested their first official international game in 1908 and can look back on a long history, the CP national side was set up just five years ago.

Fritsch first became aware of the team via Facebook. "After a serious car accident in 2005, I was constantly on the lookout for a way to play disability football. I knew that I could no longer play at my previous level because of my physical limitations, but there was never anything available. Then in 2013 I read about an unofficial CP national team in Germany and thought 'What’s this all about?'" he recalled.

"Everything gathered momentum from there, and the DBS (National Paralympic Committee Germany) eventually said that they wanted to set up a CP national football team."

In August 2014, the same year as they were established, the national side took part in the European Championships in Portugal for the first time and finished in a respectable ninth place. Two years later, Fritsch and his team-mates finished sixth, their best placing at an international tournament.

CP football at a glance

  • CP football has existed since 1978 and was a Paralympic sport from 1984 to 2016

  • It is played by people with a cerebral movement disorder (cerebral palsy) and other neurological conditions, including stroke and traumatic brain injuries

  • CP football is seven-a-side and is played on a smaller pitch with smaller goals. Otherwise, FIFA rules apply

  • The use of crutches or wheelchairs is not permitted in CP football

  • Each team consists of six outfield players and a goalkeeper

  • The game is played in two 30-minute halves with a 15-minute break

Germany are now preparing to travel to the World Cup in Seville. Unlike the World Championships, there are no qualifiers, so only the 16 best-placed teams in the world rankings can take part.

"It’s a huge milestone for us to qualify for this event and have the opportunity to compete and continue pushing forward as a team," said Fritsch. "You have to get into the cycle of tournaments to build up points, as those points decide the world rankings. We finished in a surprising sixth place at last year’s European Championships. The top five nations are all among the best in the world, so we’re very proud of this result. We’ll try to finish in a really good position at the upcoming World Cup so that we can climb even higher in the rankings. That will help to boost our profile. It will also be easier to find players if we can say 'We go to an international tournament every year and you can play at a World Cup'. If you’re a footballer to the core, you live for opportunities like that."

This summer’s World Cup will be the first time that the man from Aue in the Ore Mountains will stand on the touchline at a major tournament since he became head coach in 2017. Fritsch holds his A Licence and has already coached teams in the Girls’ Bundesliga, at the second-highest level of youth football and for the Bavarian Football Association. When asked what motivated him to accept his current role, he explained: "The team is just very important to me and has become very close to my heart. I was a founding member of the side as a player and wore the captain’s armband for a long time, which carries a certain amount of responsibility. I have set myself the target of continuing to advance CP football, even though it definitely won’t be easy. At the end of the day, Germany has only had a national team since 2014, while in many other countries it has been much longer."

Fritsch has already made a start on this project. "My Fussballlehrer [‘Football Coaching Licence’, the highest coaching qualification offered by the German Football Association (DFB)] course began last Monday," he said. "Another 25 football coaches will be trained in Germany this year and I’m extremely lucky to be one of them."

With many former professional players also joining him on the course, Fritsch hopes this will raise public awareness of CP football. "For a start, many people have no idea what cerebral palsy means and will pay more attention to it as a result. That’s something I’m currently noticing on the course. Several of my colleagues have learned about the condition from me and I think that also helps to improve their understanding of it. If we give a good account of ourselves at the World Cup, that will enhance our profile too. Maybe then there will be reports about us in the newspapers, online or even on television. After all, success is sexy!"

CP football already has a very high profile in Russia, Ukraine, England, Australia, Iran and the USA, some of which even have professional leagues. Who knows – Fritsch’s unwavering commitment and passion for his sport may help CP football in Germany to hit the same heights.

CP-Nationalteam, Germany
I wish that disabled sport could be seen more. Of course, CP football is very tough. People have to train a lot and sacrifice a lot.
Conny Fritsch