European Championship booked, Olympics in sight

For Elva Siebenlist, everything revolves around the egg. Starting today, the 15-year-old from Bergheim will be fighting for a medal for Germany at the Flag Football European Championships. Her big goal is the 2028 Olympics.

Elva Siebenlist can’t get enough of football. That’s why the 15-year-old from Bergheim is playing for three clubs this season. “I play flag football for the Kelkheim Lizzards in the first women’s league and for the U16 mixed team of the Rhein Main Rockets in Offenbach. “I’m also active for the women of the Wetterau Bulls in classic tackle football in the Hessen development league,” says the student from the high school branch in Konradsdorf. “Dancing at three weddings” means quick daily training with one of the clubs.

In addition, there are sessions with the Hesse selection and the national team. A tight schedule. But not enough energy for Elva Siebenlist, who also likes to train with the men, has a personal trainer in the fitness area and occasionally plays tennis with friends. Logically, there is no time left for other things. She had to give up hobbies such as horse riding and firefighting.

For mom Stephanie Siebenlist, her daughter’s football commitment is no longer just a hobby. “It’s a competitive sport. Her coaches say so too.” The Bergheim native’s sprint and jump data are recorded and training is adjusted if necessary. “Of course it’s also about nutrition and a reasonable lifestyle,” reveals Stephanie Siebenlist, who also has to complete a sporty workload of driving duties every week with her husband Patrick. The family is actually on the road every day. And not just across Hesse.

Stephanie Siebenlist is happy to support her daughter. And Elva Siebenlist is looking forward to her upcoming tasks. Especially in flag football. “I enjoy flag football more now because the game is much faster and more intense on the smaller field. Many tackle footballers laugh at the flag variant because there is supposedly no contact. But that’s not true.” In addition, their chances of success in flag football are better. “Here I was part of the national team and came second with Kelkheim in the first league. Flag football is also becoming an Olympic sport. So it’s clear that I want to be at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.” Then they would be 19 years old – age-wise it would be a good fit.

But first of all, the European Championships are coming up with the U15 mixed team, which consists of 50 percent boys and 50 percent girls. Yesterday, the plane took off for Serbia. Today, the first match will take place in Belgrade. Last year, at the U15 mixed premiere, the 1.65 meter tall and 65 kilogram athlete reached fifth place with Germany. “This time, we should definitely get a medal,” stresses Elva Siebenlist, who has prepared very intensively with the team for the upcoming championships. “During the summer holidays, we had several camps in Kelkheim, which is to be developed into a flag football base in Germany. There were also test matches against male first division teams and team meetings in which we discussed all our moves. None of that was the case last year; the preparation phase was much shorter.”

Dominik Bantle of the Wetterau Bulls also confirmed that a lot has happened in terms of flag football in the past twelve months. “Everything is becoming more professional. And many now see the chance to take part in the Olympic Games in 2028. This is a unique opportunity, which is why the number of potential national team candidates in the youth sector has risen from 150 to 450 within a very short time.” That is why there were several screening courses. “Before the European Championships, there was a tough selection process,” he says.

The fact that Elva Siebenlist is part of the team is no surprise to her first coach at the Bulls. “Elva was the first girl to play football in the Wetterau in 2020. She was focused from the start and quickly had the boys under control thanks to her leadership personality. Elva also has strong hand-eye coordination,” said Dominik Bantle a year ago and now adds: “Elva has improved a lot thanks to private training. She puts other things aside and is committed to the sport.” He believes the U15 team will win a medal. “Even though the other nations certainly haven’t been sleeping and have also improved.”

Germany will kick off the tournament this Friday at 10:35 a.m. against Finland. Other group matches are scheduled against defending champions Italy (Friday, 3:45 p.m.), Slovakia (Saturday, 1:45 p.m.) and Spain (Saturday, 3:45 p.m.). The semi-finals, the match for third place and the final will take place on Sunday. A total of eleven teams will compete. The 15-year-olds are “hugely” looking forward to the tournament. “Last year, respect prevailed because everything was new. This time I just want to enjoy everything and take a medal home with me.” By Torben Frieborg (tfr)

Flag football (or Flag for short) is a variant of American football. Therefore, the rules are almost the same. One important difference: physical contact is not allowed. As in American football, the egg-shaped ball must be carried into the opponent’s end zone. This is done by either running or passing. One team always has the right to attack while the opponent defends. The name Flag Football is derived from the flags on the belt. If these are torn off by the opponent, the game is stopped at that point. Pulling the flag is the same as physical contact in American football. Important: There are a maximum of 8 attempts per attack – 4 attempts to the halfway line and then 4 attempts to the end zone. Only the flags of the ball carrier may be pulled. Then a play is considered to be over.