Water polo world champion Spain comes to Chemnitz

Heike Oelsner & Thomas Ebell

Two weeks to go until a top-class water polo match takes place in the Chemnitz Sportforum swimming pool. The women's World League match between Germany and Spain. An idea that initially gave the organisers, Managing Director of SC Chemnitz Heike Oelsner and Vice President Thomas Ebell, a headache is developing into a preliminary highlight for what is probably the oldest team sport in Olympic history.

How did you come to organise this water polo spectacle?
Heike Oelsner: More or less by chance (laughs). At the German Water Polo League (DWL) meeting in September last year, the question was posed as to who would like to organise such a World League match. The German women had not taken part in this competition for three years and new venues were being sought. Our vice president was there and came back to Chemnitz with this one question: "What would you think of us organising a game like this?" (laughs)

And your reaction:
Heike Oelsner: You don't give it that much thought at first until you read through the regulations. When you look at them and read through them, you start to think differently about the idea. The rules for women are not quite as extreme as those for men. Men's water polo is played at a higher level than women's water polo.
Thomas Ebell: When we looked at the men's regulations, we said: No, we're not going to do that.
Heike Oelsner: One reason that gave us a headache was our swimming centre. Even the team manager of the German women's national water polo team travelled to Chemnitz especially to have a look at the hall. She was not yet familiar with this swimming centre.

Did this put the organisation of the World League match in doubt?
Thomas Ebell: After the initial scepticism on entering the hall, we explained to her how we envisaged the stands. After the city gave us permission for a spectator capacity of 300 including teams and coaches, we officially applied. In the beginning it was just a crazy idea, but since the DWL meeting on 7 September we have not let go of it.

How should this World League be categorised?
Thomas Ebell: I would compare it more to a Champions League in football. It is played in four or five groups and there is corresponding prize money. The final is in June. Last year, it was won by the USA.

Can anyone apply for a game like this or do you have to play water polo in the premier league?
Thomas Ebell : The organisation of the games was officially announced. So anyone could apply. We were relatively early with our application and were then considered accordingly.
Heike Oelsner: We have experience with water polo events in Chemnitz. Although not at this level of play, German youth championships are regularly held here. We have built up a good reputation for this in recent years.

What is the sporting quality in the German women's league?
Thomas Ebell : At the moment, the team is in a state of extreme upheaval. Many of the older players who finished third in the Olympic qualifiers and the European Championships have left. A lot of young players are being brought in - also with a view to the European Youth Championships in Baku this summer. In sporting terms, we've got a really tough group with the world and European champions Spain, the European runners-up Netherlands and Greece, which is one of the sixth-best teams in the world. We can only win, at least in terms of experience.

Were you surprised by the popularity of the game? The tickets were sold out within six days.
Heike Oelsner: The game and the date got around to our members at some point, or you could read in the newspaper that we were organising it. As a result, there was already a rush for tickets in December. Since then, the phone hasn't stopped ringing, people have been coming into the office or asking for tickets by email. The German Swimming Association (DSV) hadn't even got that far yet. They were in charge of sales.
Thomas Ebell: The DSV employee said that they could safely sell 1,000 tickets.

Is there anything left over for the club from the ticket money?
Thomas Ebell: No.
Heike Oelsner: The DSV also incurs enormous costs as a result of the match. The money for the visiting teams will be paid in full. This sum must first be managed. It can't be covered by the tickets alone.

The World League match gives Chemnitz a lot of attention in the sporting arena. Is that your contribution to city marketing?
Heike Oelsner: With this project, we want to ensure that water polo is recognised as a sport in the city of Chemnitz and the surrounding area. It's simply publicity for this sport. We also hope to attract more spectators to the women's national league team.
Thomas Ebell: The game is also important for attracting sponsors. We have a follow-up project in April - the Five Nations Tournament. We want to show potential sponsors that this is not a one-off project. Because we have a luxury problem in Chemnitz that many city teams play so high up.

Are you showing the Spaniards something of Chemnitz?
Thomas Ebell: The programme is very tightly planned. They arrive on Monday, do a session in the hall in the evening and then go to the hotel. There's another training session on Tuesday and then the game. They won't see much of the city.

If you could make one wish for women's water polo in Chemnitz, what would it be?
Heike Oelsner: That the team and the girls maintain their level of play. Last season, they finished sixth as a team with an average age of 17. They sometimes play against players ten years older. That means they have potential, can still grow and should climb higher one day. But they only have this chance if the money and the environment are right. We are working on that.
Thomas Ebell: Financial support from local companies is immensely important. The girls can't earn any money with water polo. You have to be crazy to play this sport. As long as the girls are still at school, we'll manage. We are at the forefront of youth development in Germany and won all three youth titles last year. That's as good as it gets. But we have to ensure in the long term that the team stays together beyond the youth level and continues to develop. Then we can transfer the successful development at youth level to the Bundesliga team as well, and we can specifically tackle and realise our long-term goal of playing internationally as a Chemnitz team. That is our great vision. A Chemnitz women's water polo team in the European competitions.

Crazy and extraordinary, usually somewhat underestimated but always surprising - are these the characteristics of Chemnitz?
Thomas Ebell : Of course the idea of organising a World League match is crazy. You also have to be a little crazy to get ahead. When we applied for the game, the association approached us and said that we'd be better off moving to Zwickau or Plauen. There are better halls there. But we are a Chemnitz club. What do we want in another city? We have ideal training conditions here for swimmers and water polo players. Many clubs envy us for that. The only thing is that the hall is not ideal for major events. But we make the best of it.

Do you have to encourage the people of Chemnitz?
Thomas Ebell: I think so. You have to have courage yourself and encourage others. As a native of Karl-Marx-Stadt, the city is close to my heart. I would never organise an event like this anywhere else. I came back to Chemnitz after seven years in Bavaria and have never regretted the move.