• SV Kleinwalsertal is based in Austria but plays in Germany
• Their lawn is only usable for about five months of the year
• Partnership agreements with other clubs

While temperatures have risen above 20 degrees Celsius in many parts of Germany over the past week, residents of the Austrian region Kleinwalsertal are still waiting for the snow to melt so they can return to playing football on the area’s scenic pitch, nestled between the forest and the Alps. peak.

“We still have a little snow here,” said Thomas Podgorschek FIFA.com. “In winter there are two meters of snow in the field because it is in the shade, flanked by slopes. We’ve shoveled it down to about 20 centimeters, but we have to wait until the sun does the final five to ten centimeters. “

The 33-year-old is the head of football as well as the U-9 coach at Kleinwalsertal, which is located some 1,200 meters above sea level. The Alpine Region has the unique status of belonging to Austria, but the valley is surrounded by mountainous borders in such a way that the only route of entry is via Germany. Skiing is the most popular sport locally, with almost every soccer coach doubling as a ski instructor. Podgorschek believes that such activities benefit local children: “Movements are only good for children.”

Location has often proven problematic, but especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when German borders are closed, for example. In normal times, however, the geography of the area primarily meant that football could once again unleash its strength across borders: since the journey to the matches in Austria would be very roundabout for the inhabitants of Kleinwalsertal – they would first have to tour the mountains – they were not only members of Austrian Football Association (OFB) but also from Germany (DFB), and has been incorporated into the German system in Allgau.

“Whenever we have a children’s game, there is always an international match between Austria and Germany,” said ‘Poki’, as he was known. “We announced it through the microphone and the kids thought it was good. They all laughed and we had fun with him. Many of them attend secondary schools in Allgau and get to know their ‘international opponents’ from the classroom or playground. “

That led to fierce competition between Austrian and German fans, and there are many of the latter’s in the valley. “There are more supporters of German football here,” said Podgorschek, before insisting that his own heart “beats only for the reds and whites-reds” of Austria.

“Separated by the color of the shirt, united by the love of the game,” is a well-known phrase in amateur football in the German-speaking world. And in this region on the Austrian-German border, this is more than just a slogan. Since the grass fields at Kleinwalsertal can only be used between late April and late September, the Austrian club has an agreement with the German city of Sonthofen, about 30 minutes away by car, where during the winter they can play on the artificial pitch. throwing and also having their ‘home’ matches there.

Meanwhile, Sonthofen already has agreements with fourth-tier team Memmingen and Bundesliga club Augsburg. As Kleinwalsertal’s youths are extremely talented on the pitch as well as on the pitch, several young players have taken advantage of this connection to play for the teams at Memmingen and Augsburg.

“Over the last few years we have had a lot of good players who are talented and ambitious,” said ‘Poki’. “But it’s not just about the best players, we want to develop everyone. We have tremendous support from our sponsors and parents, who organize themselves on the club bus so that children can always be escorted to other sports fields. “

As some of the older age groups can no longer form their own teams, they will have to rely on a playing partnership with the Bavarian club.

The news of the quality of Austria’s pitch has now spread far and wide, and over the past two years Augsburg has held a week-long pre-season training camp for their U-19, U-17 and U-15 teams in preparation for the Bundesliga Youth Campaign. They do it in the height of summer, of course, because that’s when there is no chance of snow on ‘Germany’ highest sports grounds.