Sweat, fun and songs

For three days, the professional women's team of 1. FC Union Berlin has been preparing for the new season in a training camp in Marienfeld. In addition to two intense sessions on the pitch – in the morning in positional groups, in the afternoon in a large-scale game format – a joint BBQ was on the agenda in the evening. In great spirits, some of the new team members "voluntarily" took to the microphone and provided musical contributions for an entertaining conclusion to the day.

Between the tight training schedule, there was an opportunity to talk to the players who left their home countries for football.

From cowbells to city noise

One thing all players have in common: the culture shock upon arriving in the German capital. Elli Seiro remembers: “My first Berlin moment was when a juggling street performer performed right in front of our car at a red light. I felt like I was in a movie.” The Finns Ida Heikkinen and Elli Seiro also found themselves perplexed in front of locked doors several times because supermarkets in Berlin are closed on Sundays – very different from home.

For Ida, the difference in eating habits was particularly an adjustment: In Finland, people often have a late-night snack in addition to breakfast, lunch, and dinner – something that is hardly known in Germany.

Nadine Böhi from Switzerland first needs to get used to the dimensions of the capital: “Berlin is huge! I come from a small town where everyone knows each other. Here it takes an hour to get to the center – that was a change for me.” Korina Janez was also impressed by the pace of Berlin: “My home country has fewer inhabitants than Berlin – this dimension is crazy. The distances were new for me as well.”

Eileen Campbell from Austria has already played in Freiburg for one and a half years, bringing some experience from Germany with her, but Berlin is a whole different world. “The biggest difference for me is the landscape: There are no mountains in Berlin. But I have already discovered some really beautiful spots in Köpenick.” She is excited about the diversity of the big city: “I am particularly looking forward to exploring the cultural offerings – major events and concerts are already in my calendar.”

Language Barriers & Learning Curves: Between Hands and Half-Sentences

The language remains a daily challenge – especially for the players from Finland. Both are taking German lessons regularly: “The grammar is terrible – I understand some, especially because we learned Swedish as a second language. But speaking is difficult for us.” Elli adds: “You understand more than you can say. But during training, everyone helps a lot – that motivates.”

Korina has tackled the language issue directly: “I wanted to speak good German quickly – that was important to me. Now I have reached the C1 level. You never feel as comfortable as with your mother tongue, but you can do something about it yourself.”

linguistically, Eileen feels well taken care of: Her dialect is usually understood without any problems.

More than football: An experience that changes

For Korina, Berlin is not only a new sporting home but also a place that inspires. “I love the cultural diversity and history – the offerings are huge and something very special.” At the same time, she sees herself as a bridge builder: “In my homeland, people are more relaxed, more communicative – that brings good vibes. I try to infect the team with that too.”

As diverse as the countries of origin are, so similar are the experiences: Those who open up discover more than just a new club. It is a personal learning process – with each training session, with every conversation, with every new word. Although Nadine has not yet had a classic Berlin moment, she has made a clear discovery: Her enthusiasm for various ride-hailing services. In her Swiss homeland, these are not available everywhere – she finds the offerings in Berlin particularly practical, especially now in the early days when not every route is familiar.

Growing together – Team spirit without borders

Some learn German in Berlin, others discover that supermarkets are closed on Sundays – and everyone learns what it means to be a team. The shared time away from the usual routine here in Klosterpforte is priceless. Between playing formats, fun at the BBQ, and conversations about cultures, what ultimately makes the difference grows step by step: real team spirit.

Quote of the day: “Football shoes are not bad, they can go missing sometimes” – Nele Bauereisen in response to the question of which item she absolutely needs in training camp after her shoes went missing overnight. 

The diary entries at a glance: