Photo Source: Suomi Photography / Manuel Bösch
Interested persons who would like to find out more about the German institutions in Finland on the website of the German Embassy in Helsinki, Finland, will find our partner Goethe-Institut – but especially the club FC Germania Helsinki, which was founded in 2017. We talked to David and Benjamin and got some great impressions of how a club developed from an idea created at a “regulars’ table”, which connects cultures through football and is regarded as an international contact point for immigrants in Helsinki.
German Football Ambassador:
Hei ja hyvää päivää to you and thank you very much for your time. We are happy to learn a little bit more about your great project and your impressions of Finland. First of all, can you briefly introduce yourself and tell me how you became involved with FC Germania Helsinki?
Benjamin:
Hello, my name is Benjamin Girod, I am 19 years old, and I graduated from the German School Helsinki this spring. The first time I heard about FC Germania Helsinki was when my classmate, who is the son of one of the founding members, told me about the club. In 2017, I went to training for the first time and have been a member of the club ever since.
David:
Hello also from my side and thank you very much for the interview. I am originally from Germany and have been living here in Finland since 2015. After a short time here, I noticed that I was starting to miss football a bit, so I decided to drop in on FC Germania Helsinki’s training sessions.
German Football Ambassador:
Let us first talk about the European Football Championship, in which the Finnish national team can participate for the first time in its history. Do you think that the Finnish national team, like the Icelanders at the 2016 European Championship, will be able to surprise everyone?
Benjamin:
Why not? As the absolute underdogs, the Finns have nothing to lose, and that could help them. Getting through the group stage would already be a huge success, although from Finland’s point of view they are certainly also speculating on reaching the next round as the best third-placed team in the group.
David:
I think anything is possible in Group B behind Belgium actually (maybe wearing the Finnish spectacles). If Finland can frustrate the opposing offense with their usual strong defensive performance, a draw is actually always doable. And then there are Teemu Pukki and Joel Pohjanpalo from Union Berlin, who, as you can see, are always up for a goal.
German Football Ambassador:
For whom will you keep your fingers crossed?
Benjamin:
Germany and Finland, of course!
David:
As a German living in Finland, I also hope for a successful tournament for both teams. Then we will have lots of football matches to watch together at our club.
German Football Ambassador:
Did the successful qualification in 2019 change the attention for football in Finland again – and did this have an impact on your club FC Germania Helsinki?
Benjamin:
I do think that the qualification for the European Championship has had a positive effect on Finnish football. Finland is no longer perceived as a pure ice hockey nation and the good work done in the youth sector in recent years is finally being rewarded.
However, from my point of view, the qualification did not have a big impact on FC Germania Helsinki, because even before that, thanks to many volunteers, the club grew steadily and became more professional.
FCGH Akademie – Photo Source: FC Germania Helsinki
German Football Ambassador:
How arose the idea to found the association?
David:
In 2015, it was literally a crazy idea that came up during the regularly held German regulars’ table. I think a beer or two and the World Cup the year before contributed to the euphoria. But after that, everything happened very quickly. In 2017, we had the official founding assembly and the following year, our club was registered in the Finnish register of associations. In terms of sport, things also went uphill rapidly, and we currently have more than 80 members who compete in three adult teams at different levels of performance.
German Football Ambassador:
How do you see your role as ambassadors of German football in Finland? What have you actually done in this context so far?
David:
We really see ourselves in an important role here and want to become an important connector between different nations with our values and activities. By the way, we are also listed as part of the German Institutions here in Finland by the German Embassy and have a close relationship with the other institutions like the Goethe-Institute Finland, the German Community, or the German School Helsinki. Above all, we want to use our German roots to establish German football culture in our club and also a little bit in Finland itself. In concrete terms, this means that community and the social aspect are incredibly important. I would also like to emphasise that we are a cosmopolitan club and welcome members regardless of their origin. Many people decided to play for FC Germania Helsinki for that reason, and that is why they feel so comfortable with us.
German Football Ambassador:
By now, there are more than 20 nations playing together in several teams in your club – how can people imagine life in the club? Does the German spirit play a big role for you in club life?
Benjamin:
That does vary from person to person. There are many Germans who are looking for a connection and social contacts in Finland in the club. For others, the sporting competition comes first. Since we now have three teams with different ambitions, we have something for everyone.
David:
As Benjamin already said, of course it depends a bit. We always try to make sure that nobody is excluded on and off the court and we also communicate all official messages in German and English. Apart from that, you can hear a colourful mixture of English, Finnish, German and many other languages at our training sessions and events.
German Football Ambassador:
Is football generally very important in Finnish / “Helsinki” society as a cross-cultural link? Or are there rather other sports?
David:
Traditionally, ice hockey certainly has a higher priority here in Finland. However, football is becoming more and more important, also due to the recent successes of the Finnish national team. In general, I would say that Finns like to be very active in sports and that this, together with their closeness to nature, are important elements of Finnish culture.
German Football Ambassador:
What highlights from your club life will you always remember?
Benjamin:
From my point of view, definitely the promotion from the ”Kutonen” to the ”Vitonen” in 2019. It was our first season in amateur football, having previously only played in a hobby league 7 vs 7. The season was a complete success for the whole team and of course our joy was correspondingly high.
David:
Apart from the purely sporting successes, I also always like to remember all the social activities we have had in the club. Whether it was friendly matches against a team of Iraqi refugees or against international teams ranging from Finnish parliamentarians to embassy staff, or our events together with other German institutions, such as our outdoor viewing of the European Championship match between Portugal and Germany last Saturday at the German School Helsinki with 80 guests, including from the German and Portuguese embassies in Helsinki. For many members, the end-of-season trips to Tallinn were absolute highlights, for example when we combined this with the national team’s match against Estonia in 2019.
Outdoor Viewing – Germany vs Portugal
German Football Ambassador:
With Thomas Dähne, goalkeeper of the football club Holstein Kiel, you were also able to win a prominent honorary member when he was active as an ambassador of German football for HJK Helsinki. How did you get in touch with him back then? Are you still in constant contact?
David:
Fortunately, yes. One day Thomas came to a game of our team in the Helsinki amateur league, which was of course a big and nice surprise for all of us. Of course, he immediately got a fan scarf from us. Since then, we have stayed in touch and visited him at his games. As the number one goalkeeper for HJK Helsinki, he won the Finnish championship and cup in 2017 and even gave us a winner’s jersey as a gift. Thomas was also present at our official founding meeting. The contact has not broken off even after his departure from Helsinki. In the end, the whole club rooted for him and followed his games this season with Kiel. Unfortunately, the promotion did not work out in the end. Now that the Corona situation is slowly relaxing again, we can hopefully soon pursue the idea of a trip to Germany to see Thomas play again.
FCGH visits Thomas Dähne – Honorary Member 2017
German Football Ambassador:
Corona has turned our “normal” lives completely upside down – how have you personally experienced the pandemic so far?
Benjamin:
Of course, as a student, the pandemic had an impact on my daily school life. The entire upper school had to go into home-schooling and, like everywhere else, there were some initial problems, but we managed to overcome them. Among other things, our graduation ceremony had to be cancelled this spring.
David:
I have a job in an office and have actually only worked from home for over a year. Technically, it all worked out great, but every now and then it is still nice to see my colleagues not only online. However, I must also emphasise that we are really lucky here in Finland. Compared to Germany and other countries, the restrictions were really moderate.
German Football Ambassador:
What impact did the pandemic have on Germania Helsinki?
Benjamin:
First of all, all planned training sessions and matches had to be cancelled in the spring of 2020. However, we were fortunately still able to finish the season in a modified league system and end with a satisfactory fourth place in the table. With the onset of the second wave, team training was put on hold again during the winter. In small groups and individual training sessions, the players kept fit and prepared for the season ahead. With the renewed relaxation of the Corona measures in May, we were finally able to start our training and the league again. Even a second weekly training session for summer 2021 was scheduled at short notice.
David:
Exactly, we certainly are optimistic, especially as our activities are now back in full swing. And then there is the exciting European Championship. It is already a real football summer with wonderful weather!
German Football Ambassador:
What goals do you still want to achieve with the FCGH in the future?
Benjamin:
As a player, I always want to achieve the maximum sporting success and to move up to the next division, the “Nelonen”, with FCGH this season. The slogan of our club is “Veikkausliiga we are coming” – that is the first Finnish football league. Even if the slogan is to be viewed with a wink, it is a good guideline for the club’s sporting goals: The sky’s the limit!
In addition, FC Germania Helsinki should continue to be a community for football enthusiasts and help connect German speakers in Helsinki.
FCGH on the Christmas Market of the German School Helsinki – December 2019
German Football Ambassador:
At the end of our conversation, we of course wish you continued success in your projects. It was great to get an impression of your work and your club. Thank you very much for the interview.
