ruth901
Becoming a professional soccer player was not a specific goal for Paula Flach for a long time. The 23-year-old from the Schlitz district of Pfordt initially competed on horseback vaulting before finding her way into the Bundesliga. At the Hessentag she spoke about career, ambition and the development of women's football.
Fulda – Bundesliga player Paula Flach answered questions from the senior editor of Torgranate, Johannes Götze, on the blue light mile on Friday evening. Götze wanted to know whether the 23-year-old's childhood dream was to become a professional soccer player. “No, I didn’t have that goal from the start,” said Flach, who comes from the Pfordt district of Schlitz. “It was a process,” said Flach.
Bundesliga player from Schlitz in the talk at the Hessentag
Her path took her from FSV Pfordt via TSV Lehnerz and Victoria Fulda to VfL Wolfsburg. “It was at this point that I realized: now things are getting serious.” She made her debut in the Bundesliga at MSV Duisburg. She has been playing in defense at SGS Essen since 2024. She has been playing in the Bundesliga for four years now.
But she didn't have a love for football from a young age. “My brother introduced me to it.” Before that, like her mother, she vaulted. As her success grew, her ambition also increased, said Flach. This is an important basic requirement for becoming a professional and being able to survive in the long term. “Talent alone is not enough.” Where does the ambition come from? The 23-year-old suspects it runs in the family.
Götze asked how Flach feels about the different circumstances between women's and men's football. “Do you think that’s unfair?” Of course there are still differences, said the 23-year-old. For example, she talked about the different pay. “But I don't want to complain. Because a lot of positive changes have happened in the last few years. And development is still ongoing.” And besides, said the 23-year-old, in the end it's all about having fun.
“Does football remain just a hobby for women because of the lower pay than in men's football? Do we need a plan B?” asked Götze. “I have turned my hobby into a career – and I want to do it for as long as possible.” Her next goal is to play her hundredth Bundesliga game next season.
After the conversation, many spectators followed the Hessentag at the public viewing the German national team's first World Cup victory against Curacao.
