Berlin – Emily Bölk and Dinah Eckerle have already experienced enough sporting disappointments at major tournaments with the German handball players. This should be over now. At the World Cup in Spain, the captain and goalkeeper finally want to get out of the mediocre with the DHB selection. “We want to do a good job. I hope that we can be a surprise team, ”said Bölk.
Women’s advancement program launched
Nobody speaks of a medal in public, but of course there is a great longing for it. The last precious metal for the German women came in 2007 with a bronze medal. “Of course it is very important that we present ourselves well at the World Cup. Not only for us, but also for the association. That attracts girls to the clubs and sponsors, ”said Eckerle. After all, the German Handball Federation has just launched a large women’s support program. “We believe that women’s sport can be lucrative. This does not mean that you earn a lot of money with it, but that people are interested in it. That is why we want to be more successful in terms of sport, ”emphasized DHB CEO Mark Schober.
After the successful dress rehearsal at the four-country tournament the week before, self-confidence increased again. “We’re not at the top level like Olympic champion France or European champion Norway. But I think we’ll annoy one or the other big guy and have a lot of fun with it, ”said Eckerle, declaring war on the competition. Similar sounds came from Bölk: “We know that we can also beat the top nations. We have shown many times that we can keep up. The trick is to consistently achieve this. “
Despite being only 23 years old, the backcourt player is one of the most experienced in the team of national coach Henk Groener. Bölk has been in all tournaments since the 2016 European Championships – just like Eckerle. And the top performers have something else in common: Both have been playing abroad for more than a year. Bölk near Ferencvaros Budapest, Eckerle after stints in Siofok and Metz since this season in Denmark near Esbjerg. The experience gained there should now also benefit the DHB selection. “Every year that we play in the club at a high international level, the national team also helps,” said Bölk.
This is not the only reason why the national coach is spreading confidence against the Czech Republic before the tournament opens on Thursday. “We are more homogeneous in terms of the breadth of the squad than at the EM last year. And we have a team that is very closed. All of the players have developed and are very positive with each other. That will be the key to success, ”said Groener.
Other opponents in Group E are Slovakia and Hungary. Despite the increasing corona incidence values worldwide, the tournament will be played with spectators as planned using the 2G rule. “According to the Spanish government, it is currently allowed to fill the halls to 80 percent,” said world association chief Hassan Moustafa in an interview with the specialist handball week.
The quarter-finals are the clear goal
The preliminary round and the main round should only be a transit station for the German team. The clear goal is the quarter-finals. DHB sports director Axel Kromer sees good prerequisites for this. “We believe the team has grown qualitatively,” he said. Groener hopes that his work will finally bear fruit. “We want to make our game more stable, so that our performance is not as fluctuating as it was in previous tournaments,” said the 61-year-old Dutchman.
A good performance would give him some arguments for the upcoming talks with the DHB after the World Cup about an extension of his contract, which is valid until April 2022. The team wants to do its part. “I think very highly of him, I really enjoy working with him,” said Bölk about the national coach. “We have seen good development in recent years and would like to continue on this path with Henk.”