Bayern Women Return To Training As Bundesliga Prepares To Resume

Three weeks after the men’s squad, the players of FC Bayern Women’s team returned to training last Monday after four weeks away. The ‘new normal’ of social distancing around Europe mean that the sessions only commenced within strict government guidelines and were limited to small groups. The relevant hygiene regulations also continue to be carefully observed and followed.

With the German Football League (DFL) this week proposing to become the first in western Europe to resume matches without spectators early next month, training will continue to take place behind closed doors. Currently second in the Frauen Bundesliga table, with six rounds of matches to play, FC Bayern have asked their fans to continue to follow the instructions of the authorities and not to come to the training campus. The DFL estimate 20,000 coronavirus tests will be required to monitor the players’ health on a weekly basis.

Australian international Emily Gielnik explained what life for players is likely to entail over the coming months. “We have been tested and as a result it’s allowed us to train but under very strict guidelines and in several small groups. It’s actually a great set-up with time increments and football stations so that we only stay within our group and our own changing room. We spend as little time there as possible. We only come there to train, then leave straight away and follow a strict precaution in terms of hand sanitization and use of equipment. Although it’s not team training as a whole, it is very nice to see familiar faces and get a glimpse of the feeling of doing what we love most”.

Former Bayern player and current Sporting Director, Bianca Rech expressed how the squad were feeling to be back together. “We are very happy that we were able to resume training in small groups, in compliance with the official requirements and hygiene regulations. Training with the ball, being able to see each other again and having a regular schedule is a great relief for the team and the coaching staff. This way we can carefully prepare for a possible resumption of play”.

“We train in small groups with players of the same position, divided into defenders, strikers and midfielders”, said Bayern head coach Jens Scheuer. “So far, we have mainly worked in these groups with a focus on position-specific individual technology. We also train with this division in the physical area and work on our endurance with various programs”. Gielnik explained it allowed “more focus on the individual, isolating more player-position specific drills and using it to our advantage”.

Scheuer added that “the first few days have shown that training in small groups can sometimes even bring advantages. Of course, the time and organizational effort is great, but it is also fun for us coaches to see how well the individual training is received. Despite the difficult situation, this will certainly bring us forward”.

Gielnik, who once owned a gym, admitted how difficult she found it to maintain match fitness during the four-week absence from regular squad sessions. “it was the longest time for sure without training. To be honest the first week was okay but then you realize how close you are as a team, the distance becomes hard and the feeling of training in a group is missed even more. It makes you realize just how much you miss the group environment and the energy you get from an atmosphere”. 

Nicknamed ‘Shreds’ for her dedication to training, Gielnik confessed that “I am certainly missing being able to use gym equipment however it’s allowed me to be creative here and use what I have. We have had a running program and some online body programming and I have recently fallen in love with skipping. I am someone that loves sweating and hard work so I get outdoors as much as I can to workout and simply just run to clear my head in a time like this. Safe to say that I do not enjoy rest days!”

Thousands of miles away from home, Gielnik is also still adapting to life in a foreign country. “It has been the most difficult time. Most of my team-mates are at home with their family in Australia and because we aren’t able to play or train as a team there hasn’t been much of a distraction to not miss home as much. I have weekly Zoom meetings with our national team and I regularly FaceTime my family and all my little nieces and nephews that I miss dearly because they are at such a cute age of growing up and it’s difficult to not see the changes in person”. 

Bayern were due to play reigning European champions Olympique Lyonnais in the Women’s Champions League, a competition that has been postponed indefinitely. “The Champions League is such a milestone for me and my career. I have not played against Lyon or many matches in the Champions League so that was huge for me and our club to miss this game but I am sure it was not possible with the current situation so therefore I put my feelings aside for this scenario”.

The final cut from the Australian Olympic Squad four years ago was a feeling that Gielnik admitted “was the most devastation I have felt in my career”. Now, just a few weeks after helping ‘The Matildas’ qualify for Tokyo 2020, she has been made to wait again to realize her Olympic dream with the Games pushed back a year to 2021.

“I don’t believe it’s frustration”, she said, “more disappointing to have worked so hard and prepared. However player welfare and people’s health comes first so I can agree with the decision entirely because life is more important at this present time and football can always make a return. A lot of people are suffering in one way or another but I believe it was for the best”.