Sarah Schulte plays in the women's national football league and is also doing her doctorate at the University of Oldenburg. A balancing act between two worlds.
A day in September at the outdoor sports facility in Wechloy: a young woman in a football shirt casually holds the ball in the air - first with her foot, then alternately with her knees. The autumn rain shower doesn't bother the player with the number 16 as she dribbles a few metres across the pitch with the ball.
Sarah Schulte is the captain of the SV Meppen women's football team and plays in the 1st Bundesliga. Unlike her male colleagues who play in the German elite league, she is not a professional athlete. She works alongside football - and has been earning her living as a research assistant at the Institute of Sport Science at the University of Oldenburg since April. Schulte is preparing for her doctorate there.
Combining the two worlds requires a lot of organisation. "Of course, it's not always easy to juggle university, football and your private life," she says. However, the sportswoman has now organised this well. Football training at the club takes place in the mornings and evenings. Schulte is allowed to miss mornings - but
has to do substitute training in Oldenburg. "It's a great solution for me, because it means I can work at university in the mornings and afternoons and go to training in the evenings," she says. Training sessions at the club usually take place on Wednesdays to Saturdays, plus the league match days. "This division is very practical because it means I can work a little longer on Mondays and Tuesdays if necessary," explains the 27-year-old.
Football has always played a big role in her life. She has been kicking a ball around since she was four years old. "I got into the sport because my father coached the youngest children in our home town. He always took me to training with him - I've been involved ever since." When she was around ten years old, she was accepted into the talent development programme. The midfielder realised that she could achieve more thanks to the feedback she received during the multiple scouting sessions. "During this time, I made the decision to invest even more time and energy in football," says Schulte.
She has been playing in and for Meppen since 2011, and a move was never an option for her for various reasons: "The club has a family atmosphere, I feel very comfortable here." She also appreciates the fact that young talent is nurtured in the Emsland district town and that many of the club's own youngsters make it into the Bundesliga. Schulte herself played with her team in the 2nd Women's Bundesliga for many years and is now in her second season in the top division. "We have developed steadily - not only as a club, but also as a team," she says proudly. Schulte's personal record: more than 200 games for Meppen and several appearances for the DFB's junior national
teams.
Football has not yet been included in her doctoral thesis at university. Schulte is currently in the process of defining the topic and research question more precisely. In addition to her doctoral project, she has teaching duties and supports her colleagues in Prof Dr Dirk Büsch's "Sport and Training" department. In the current winter semester, she is teaching a practical course on the sport of football. "It's a nice change of pace not to kick the ball myself, but to share my passion with others," says the sportswoman, who has already completed her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Sports Science in Oldenburg. She is also interested in other sports, so she is keeping her mind open as to whether her research will also focus on football. It is important to Schulte to get away from ball sports and be open to other topics. In the little free time she has left, she enjoys socialising with friends and family.
Science before football
A second mainstay alongside a football career is normal in women's football. The teams in Germany don't get the same attention as the teams in men's football - even though the women's European Championship recently brought significantly more visibility, as Schulte finds. "I went to a few public viewings, which were very well attended. The atmosphere was just great," she says.
Time and again, Schulte has to prove to herself and others that the balancing act between football and work is possible, that both worlds can be reconciled. "Because I train during the week, I have to rely on flexible
working hours. Fortunately, it's easy to manage at the moment," she says. If the day came when she had to choose one of the two career paths, she would probably choose science. "Even after my football career, I'd like to do something that I enjoy. I really like the scientific branch so far." Her time as a competitive athlete is finite. "It's necessary to build up another perspective for the future."
