‘It’s not about pushing’: Bayern star explains what footballers ‘really frustrate’ him

The 2022 European Championships in England is a watershed for German women’s football: For the first time, the sport was a mass event in this country – in terms of ratings, but also in terms of nationwide enthusiasm. Above all, Julia Gwen has been in the public eye since last year’s tournament: the defender has more than half a million followers on Instagram, for example. This is much more than the official DFB Women account has to show.

In a new issue of ZDFkultur’s “Supermodels” series, Sven Heisler portrays the young woman who, like her teammates, must hear over and over sexist and derogatory comments despite her success. Julia Gwen still has no idea she’s giving up — even when her health becomes her biggest challenge.

The 23-year-old had serious injuries in the past. In the fall of 2022, a few months after the European Championships, Gwin tore his cruciate ligament for the second time during training with the national team.

A big setback for the Bayern Munich defender whose goal was to be on the pitch for the World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand (Start: 20 July). “A cruciate ligament rupture is the worst injury for an athlete,” the Friedrichshafen native says in the film, which ends with a bitter realization: she will not be present at the German team’s first match on July 24. “Julia is very far from her rehabilitation plan, but she missed several weeks of training,” said Martina Vos-Tecklenburg, the national coach at the beginning of June.

In the beginning, the film’s image looks at the athlete’s origins in the rural area of ​​Lake Constance (“the loveliest childhood one could wish for”). “You know where you come from and where you can always come back,” says the Bayern player with her parents and siblings on the grounds in Swabian Spitzl. After all, affinity is exactly what makes women’s soccer so attractive compared to the men’s totally commercial scene.

“What always bothers me is the comparison with men’s football. Instead of looking at it separately,” Julia Gwyn defends herself in front of the ZDF camera against unsubstantiated claims from outsiders. Yet she uses the unflattering comparison herself – namely, to claim better framework conditions for her sport.

“For us, it’s mainly about creating structures that are good enough for women’s football to be seen as a truly professional sport,” the 24-year-old emphasized. “A person can do this without training early in the morning, working eight hours, and training late at night.” Otherwise, there will be no fair competition.

Gwen clearly: “It’s really frustrating for us, that we don’t have the same conditions, the same infrastructure.” It’s not about getting paid in the first place, and it’s not realistic in the long run to even come close to men’s appalling paychecks sometimes. “It’s about getting close, so you can feel things are always going high. That’s what we’re fighting for. But of course everything is a little more slow than in men’s football.”

However, the huge amount of money pouring into men’s football also has a downside: “A lot of people think they’re going to be professional. How many they’ll get in the end is another thing,” the star defender looks back on the men’s team. Football team with an arrogant smile offspring. This drop does not exist in women’s soccer. “With us, it is the case across the board that everyone is studying, has already completed an apprenticeship or has something in their hands that can be used for a second career.”

Gaylia Gwen is the sixth woman to share her life in the Role Models series. Also photographed are Nikiata Thompson, Sophia Fluersch, Dozen Tikal, Leila Bedisch and LUNA. All previous episodes of the documentary series are available at ZDFmediathek. The episode with Guilia Gwinn will also air on ZDF on Saturday, July 8th at midnight.