The Soccer Field Culture War
The Victims of the Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, children were among the most negatively impacted. Their dietary options were limited to unpalatable dishes like broccoli, and even Friedrich Merz posed a threat to their well-being.
At a CDU Baden-Württemberg New Year’s reception in Künzelsau, Merz declared his intention to petition the German Football Association (DFB) to reinstate goal-scoring football matches for children in the E and F youth leagues. The audience responded with laughter and applause.
Political Ignorance or Populist Rhetoric?
One can only hope that the future German chancellor possesses a better understanding of politics than of football. German sports fields still have goals, and children continue to score in them. Merz was alluding to the DFB’s youth development改革, which has seen younger players competing on smaller fields, with smaller teams, and smaller goals since the start of the season. Proponents of the改革claim that it aims to eliminate the desire to win and the ability to lose by effectively abolishing victory and defeat.
Merz’s speech exemplifies populism at its worst. It involves simplifying and distorting facts to fit a predetermined narrative. The DFB has since questioned whether Merz was genuinely ignorant or simply pandering to the crowd by feigning ignorance. After all, he had visited the DFB Campus the previous fall, received a thorough explanation, and even posted a photo on Instagram from the team’s locker room.
Culture War in Children’s Soccer
Merz was merely the latest in a string of individuals to criticize the DFB’s so-called harmful改革. His fellow party member and Merz supporter, Aki Watzke, made similar comments, despite his position as DFB vice president, which should have made him aware that other countries have implemented similar measures. (Incidentally, Watzke’s home region, the Sauerland, has produced few professional soccer players and made negligible contributions to Germany’s triumphs.)
The author also acknowledges objections raised in Germany, such as ZEIT columnist Harald Martenstein’s claim that the new approach to children’s soccer represents a departure from performance-oriented thinking. The underlying message in such criticisms is that these reforms are symptomatic of the supposed decline of the nation. We are raising our children to be weaklings. Germany has become too politically correct, too soft, and too comfortable.
The Cynical Exploitation of Sports
The debate surrounding the replacement of traditional victory certificates with participation certificates in the Bundesjugendspiele (Federal Youth Games) followed a similar pattern. Most of the criticism came from individuals who have little interest in sports, tend to look down on it, but seize upon it as ammunition for their own agendas before quickly discarding it.
The Personal Connection
The author admits to taking the mockery of small-sided soccer personally. He has dedicated time and effort to it. In the 1990s, he coached young players in RSV Büblingshausen. He has observed the Funino project of 1. FC Nürnberg, which has collaborated with elementary schools for many years. He has engaged with pioneers Horst Wein (now deceased) and Matthias Lochmann and listened to the perspectives of people from small clubs who initially had reservations but later changed their minds.
The Importance of Fair Treatment
The issue is far more significant than some may realize. Approximately 1.4 million children and teenagers play soccer in Germany. Clubs have a responsibility to treat children fairly and provide them with proper training. The traditional approach disadvantaged the weaker players, such as those born in December, who faced a temporary physical disadvantage compared to their older January-born counterparts. This gap would eventually narrow during puberty, but large-field soccer ignored such subtleties, discriminating against certain children and squandering talent and potential.
Emphasizing Development over Results
"Small-sided soccer played on multiple, parallel fields is the ideal way to foster both elite and grassroots talent," said Hannes Wolf, DFB’s sports director for youth development, in a phone interview with ZEIT ONLINE. Wolf cited data and studies demonstrating that children playing under the new model have more touches on the ball, make more soccer-related decisions on the pitch, run more, and even score more goals.
Wolf, a former coach of VfB Stuttgart and HSV, is determined to help make German soccer more successful again. "We haven’t been good enough in player development," he said. "We need to significantly improve in that area because we want to be the best." Wolf is passionate about his mission to bring titles to Germany, and it shows in the way he speaks about it. Despite the criticism the DFB faces, Wolf’s approach is sound.
