German women’s soccer squad scores visit to Israel

B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem coordinates visit to mark 50 years since the establishment of German-Israeli diplomatic relations.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Turbine Potsdam soccer team (photo credit: REUTERS)
Turbine Potsdam soccer team
(photo credit: REUTERS)
One of the world’s leading woman’s soccer teams, FFC Turbine Potsdam, lands in Israel today for the week to mark 50 years since the establishment of German-Israeli diplomatic relations.
B’nai B’rith World Center Trustee and B’nai B’rith Frankfurt Lodge President Ralph Hofmann initiated the visit.
The team’s trip will be a milestone in woman’s soccer in Israel. It will provide an opportunity to improve the sporting level, while also increasing interest in women’s soccer and improving sporting ties between the two countries.
The Israel Ministry of Culture and Sport, the German and Israeli Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Israel Ministry of Tourism, the Embassy of Germany in Israel, the Netanya municipality, the Israeli Embassy in Germany and the Israel Football Association have partnered with B’nai B’rith to realize this ambitious project.
Turbine Potsdam is a top team in the women’s Bundesliga, the professional soccer league in Germany, and is one of the leading teams in Europe. Founded in 1971 in what was then East Germany (GDR), Turbine Potsdam won the GDR league six times in the 1980s.
Since reunification, the Turbine Potsdam has claimed the league title in 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2012.
They won the German Football Federation (DFB) Cup in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and won the UEFA Women’s Cup in 2005 and UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2010.
Turbine Potsdam also took home the DFB Hall Cup in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013 and 2014. A number of team players served on Germany’s under-20 national team that won the FIFA U-20 Woman’s World Cup this year in Canada. Several are also members of the German national team.
At home, the team enjoys a large devoted fan base.
Bernd Schroder, who serves as a volunteer, has coached the team for the entirety of its 43 years of existence.
The team’s visit will include an official friendly match with the Israeli national under-19 team, training clinics and visits to significant national and historical sites including Jerusalem’s Old City, Masada and Yad Vashem.
The visit was coordinated by the B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem – the official presence of B’nai B’rith International in Jerusalem and its public affairs arm in Israel.
Nearly 30 players and professional staff will participate in the visit, in addition to two representatives of the German television station RBB.