So German!

SoGerman Team: Hi Moritz, Hi Jan! Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us tonight! I want to start by congratulating you on your win against Bulgaria today, what a game! A narrow win after five sets! Who was, in your opinion, the player of the match and why?

Moritz Reichert: I think for our team, it is safe to say, that Christian Fromm, our captain, was the player of the match. He delivered a solid match and finished the game with his ace in the end!

SoGerman Team: The 2022 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) is the first big tournament since the Covid-19 pandemic started – how does it feel to finally play in front of fans again and take in the atmosphere of the tournament?

Jan Zimmermann: Yes, I think it is really nice to be back. Last year in Italy, we played without a crowd. The fans in Ottawa are great! It is nice to be back in Ottawa for the VNL, because we finally get to play in front of a crowd again, it is a good feeling to have fans watching.

SoGerman Team: What are your goals for this year in the Volleyball Nations League – is the final week in Bologna a goal? And what are the general sport goals for the next few years?

Jan Zimmerman: It’s definitely our goal to reach the final eight, in previous years we came in ninth and eleventh. The team certainly has the potential to play in the finals and that’s what we are aiming for. I think we showed that with our two wins in the first three games. The next big goal is certainly to deliver a good performance at this year’s World Championship in
Poland and Slovenia. We are in a very difficult group with France and Slovenia as opponents, but I believe that everything is possible and especially, looking at the VNL, we can only do better this year!

SoGerman Team: It is always nice to see that there is an exchange after the game between players from different nations. How would you describe the atmosphere between the national teams in a tournament like the Volleyball Nations League?

Moritz Reichert: At these kinds of tournaments the atmosphere is always really good because you meet a lot of players you have played before from other countries and also the exchange between the countries is always really friendly.

SoGerman Team: Is the pressure different when you play for Germany vs. when it’s a regular league game?

Jan Zimmermann: I think it can be different for some players because the level of pressure and publicity of the leagues varies, but for players who play in Italy or Poland I think it is actually quite similar, but it is obviously a nice feeling to wear the national jersey and to represent your country.

SoGerman Team: With such a packed schedule, there is limited time for regeneration or breaks, what do your off days between matches look like?

Moritz Reichert: Yes that’s very true. We arrived two days prior to our first match but we obviously train a lot during our time off, not as much as usual because we don’t want to be exhausted on match days. When we have free time, we use the time to walk around the city a bit. Naturally, we are also trying to get to know the countries better.

SoGerman Team: You mentioned that you really enjoy seeing other countries, have you already been to places in Ottawa and if so, what did you like best?

Jan Zimmermann: We are quite lucky in that our hotel is very centrally located, so we are able to see Parliament Hill, which is super pretty. This is already our third time in Ottawa for the Volleyball Nations League, the last two times we were here, we went to a little café near Parliament Hill, I think it is called Tavern on the Hill which is really nice. We were also able to check out the ByWard Market and went there for a meal after the last match. We all enjoy the atmosphere here! In general, it is always nice when a city is located by the water, like here in Ottawa.

SoGerman Team: We attended your games and I did see there was quite a lot of conversation on the court as well as within the team next to the court. What conversations take place during the game?

Jan Zimmermann: I think it’s mostly tactical conversations, to be honest; with each rotation, a little part of the game changes as well as small details which are specific to each opponent.

Moritz Reichert: And sometimes, the players who are sitting on the bench see details that they share with the ones on the court: “Maybe try something like this or watch out for that”, things like that. And, you just try to cheer each one another on.

SoGerman Team: I saw that the German Volleyball Association is also part of the initiative “Anlauf gegen Gewalt” (which is an independent point of contact for those experiencing violence and abuse in professional sports). In your opinion, what else can be done to curb violence and abuse in sports and especially in professional sports.

Moritz Reichert: Personally, I think the Initiative “Anlauf gegen Gewalt” is a great step forward. I think the initiative has been around for 2 to 3 years now, which is really great. I definitely see the importance of the topic, especially in the area of youth sports and possibly more in women’s sports than in men’s sports. Of course, I can only speak from my personal experience here that I have never experienced anything in this direction and I am of course extremely happy about that. I think it is incredibly important that there are points of contact, especially for the athletes, so that they know, who they can turn to and who will listen to them if something like this happens, and of course, we hope that this initiative will also help to prevent this from happening in the future. Another point is of course that an initiative also contributes to the fact that the topic is more public and is talked about!

SoGerman Team: In Germany, it is very difficult for sports other than soccer to garner media attention; the same might be said about sports other than hockey in Canada. How do you deal with this problem of playing a “marginal sport” and do you think something needs to change when it comes to competitive sports, possibly also regarding financial support for the athletes?

Jan Zimmermann: Especially in marginal sports, it is simply essential that we also get airtime on television and, above all, that the national leagues are shown on television. These are simply the classic channels through which you can get sponsorship money, which also enhances the value of the league, and ultimately, that also has an effect on the athlete’s salaries. Of course, you can also see this with us, we currently have many injury-related absences but basically, the national level players actually play abroad and not in the German league. To be honest, it’s actually quite sad, I play in Italy and Moritz plays in Poland, and you can definitely see that volleyball has a different status as a professional sport there. This of course leads to a difference in quality in the leagues because players are also attracted to the leagues where there is more money. For us as players, of course, it also makes a difference what status the sport has in the country. But I think that television, in particular, would be a big step in the right direction, and it’s definitely not just about volleyball, but also about other marginal sports that could benefit from having more TV coverage. Personally, I think the Deutsche Sporthilfe e.V. is an amazing partner, however, if Germany wants to continue to compete in major tournaments like the Olympics and cheer on stars who are successful at these events, then there needs to be more support from both the political and commercial sectors – if only to remain competitive. The whole structure is simply extremely important for the preparation of our next generation of professional athletes.

SoGerman Team: It’s interesting that you mention this; in the days leading up to the interview, I had actually been thinking about how to motivate younger players, in particular, to pursue competitive sports; especially if you consider the time and the financial investment required.

Moritz Reichert: To be honest, the most important thing is the passion for the sport. If you have that, it isn’t about the money. You can see that in other sports, even in soccer, when the motivation for the sport is no longer there or the mental pressure is too high, many players quit. It’s nearly impossible to motivate somebody to take part in competitive sports for other reasons than your own motivation. It’s clearly a lot of work, you’re on the road a lot, you train a lot and therefore the motivation has to come from yourself. Of course, at the same time, you get many opportunities that others don’t get to experience. You get to travel to a lot of great places and for us, in team sports, it’s also a cool feeling to be on the road as a team, hanging out with the other players every day. There are also advantages in other areas, for example, in school, there are occasional privileges for athletes. Overall, I would say that if you have a passion for the sport, there are definitely enough incentives!

SoGerman Team: This year, there are a few newcomers to the German national team. Are there certain rituals when new players make it on the senior team, or do players who have been in the team longer just take care of the newcomers?

Jan Zimmermann: I would say we are definitely a very harmonious team and that we always welcome younger players. Of course, younger players have to do jobs, like carrying physio equipment or something like that.

Moritz Reichert: There are things like when players have played their first game abroad with the team, the first round of drinks is on them after the last game, but I would say that is all still very much within the bounds of sportsmanship.

Jan Zimmermann: We are currently in the process of working out something for new players. The idea so far is for the team to choose a costume for the newcomers to wear in public on their first trip abroad with the national team, but that hasn’t been fully discussed yet ;).

SoGerman Team: Do you have any recommendations for young players who are thinking of a career in competitive sports?

Moritz Reichert: I think it is important to work on yourself and watch high-level games and with this, I am pretty confident that you have a good chance to develop all the skills that you need to become a professional athlete one day!

SoGerman Team: Thank you for the nice conversation and best of luck for your upcoming matches from the whole Team at the German Embassy.

The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.