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Doris Fitschen
Reflections Of A German Footballing Pioneer
by Jeremy Ruane
As everyone knows, Germany is one of the most successful women's footballing countries in the history of the game - they are invariably there or thereabouts at the business end of virtually all the major tournaments, much like their male counterparts have been for so many years.
But it hasn't always been that way for European women's football's flagship nation. Indeed, it wasn't until the final of the third UEFA Women's Championship, in 1989, that the cry of “Deutschland uber alle” was heard after the final of a competition which was first held five years earlier.
Even at the Women's Invitational Tournaments which were held in Taiwan throughout that decade, Germany wasn't represented by their national team, but by a leading club side.
One of the pioneers in that team was defensive dynamo Doris Fitschen, the first great star of German women's football. And she chuckles freely as she recalls what life was like in the formative years of Germany's Frauen-Nationalmannschaft, and the key moments which have made the country the women's footballing super-power it is today.
“Women and girls were only allowed to play football from 1970. I started playing four years later, as a six-year-old, and at that time, it was not permitted for girls in my area to play on a boy's team.
“As there were no girls teams, I was, from the outset, under-developed as a footballer. So for me, it became a kind of passion to develop women's football, and that's what I'm still doing today, through my role in the marketing department of the German federation”.
Such a role wasn't even a consideration during Doris' formative years, which featured a big step forward for German women's football in 1982. “That was the year the national team was formed, so I had another goal to strive for - to play on the national team”.
That mission was accomplished in October, 1986, when a seventeen-year-old came off the bench and made a goalscoring debut for Germany against Denmark, the first of 144 appearances she would make for her country..
“Those were the days when only fifty people were watching our games. But we hosted the 1989 European Championships, and won them, beating Norway 4-1 in the final. That was a big moment for me - another personal goal accomplished - and for Germany. 22,000 people watched the game, and we enjoyed a lot of media and television coverage for the first time”.
Two years on, Doris, who won three Frauen Bundesliga titles, three German Cups and a German Super Cup at club level, savoured another special moment. “The first Women's World Cup in China was another big step for women's football, as it put
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the game on the world stage”.
Germany finished third at the inaugural finals, and retained their European crown that year, with Doris adding two more European Championship winners' medals to her collection - in 1995 and 1997 - before the time came to hang up her boots.
In between those triumphs, another goal was accomplished. “Participating in the Olympic Games was another key development in the women's game. That took place in 1996, and taking part in them, and meeting all these athletes from other sports, was a wonderful experience.
“I won a bronze medal in Sydney, the year after the USA won the Women's World Cup in 1999. The full stadium - 90,185 fans, and millions more watching on TV - was a really important moment for women's football”.
Another important moment in Doris' playing career was still to come, before injury forced her retirement from the game at the end of 2001. “Playing for Philadelphia Charge in the WUSA was a great experience. To play, for the first time in my life, professional football, and in my last year …
“It was just great to play every week. Every match was on TV, and we'd have 10,000 people watching our games each week, compared with 200-300 supporters attending our First Division games in Germany”, recalls the scorer of the first-ever goal in professional women's football, from the penalty spot on the opening day of WUSA.
“One aspect of playing which I miss is being with the team, and the experience of the team environment. Having fun together, winning together, losing together, doing everything together. One of the reasons I started playing football was to be on the team”.
Nowadays, Doris is part of another team, with her marketing work for the DFB a very important role for the German federation at present, given they will be hosting the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals and, a year later, the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals.
So she has plenty to occupy her, away from the footballing environment as well, “I love shopping!! And I like the internet, too. I have my own web page - www.dorisfitschen.de - which I created myself.
“So I'm interested in computers, shopping, holidays, visiting different countries, and meeting friends. Just drinking coffee and meeting friends, that's what I most like doing”.
And, of course, fulfilling her passion - helping to further develop a game which has been such a big part of Doris Fitschen's life throughout her forty years.
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