Football is my main love. I have been playing for seven years, and I joined FC Zurich Ladies three years ago. I am now moving up from the under-17s to the under-19s. We train four times a week and play matches at the weekend. We often play our away matches in other cities, sometimes against French- or Italianspeaking teams. The level of football is high – our coach demands a lot, so I really have to give my all. That suits me fine, because that is how to improve. I am currently a defender and feel very comfortable playing at the back. We have a good team spirit. I also hang out with a few teammates in my free time. Naturally, there is competition for places in the team. You sometimes have to be selfish to play well. On the other hand, it’s a team game. You can only win together. I get annoyed when things don’t go our way. After a defeat, I prefer to go straight home and lie down.
We hardly have any contact with the boys in FC Zurich’s junior section. Their under-17s consists of three groups. The boys are under greater pressure to perform, and competition for places is fiercer. They have greater opportunity, because their budget is bigger than ours. For example, they have more training camps than we do. I think it would be great if they gave girls and boys the same level of coaching and funding.
For me, football is more than a hobby. I am thinking of going abroad one day – maybe to the USA, where female footballers are better coached and paid. Whatever happens, I would like a career in sport. I enjoy being physically active. That includes being on the slopes in winter and at the outdoor swimming pool in summer. I also regularly spend time with children as a Guides leader. I enjoy that.
I am actively engaged in trying to make politicians take climate protection more seriously. I have already taken part in bike demonstrations as well as the Fridays For Future strikes. Sixteen-year-olds are capable of forming their own opinions. They are at a good age to determine what they want. I think it would be a good idea to lower the voting age to 16. I have been consuming a lot more media content to keep track during the pandemic. We also cover political issues at school. However, we need to be encouraged to think even more critically. It is important to question what the media say.
Yves Heim
Born in 2004 and living in Zurich, where she is a pupil at the Liceo Artistico – a Swiss-Italian upper secondary school devoted to the arts. Yves plays football in the junior section of FC Zurich Ladies. She is also in the Girl Guides.
The portraits of all 16 young people interviewed
Comments