While the Danish fodboldkvinder and gentlemen organised for better pay, the bony the Danish basketkvinder through countless hours of volunteer work in order to play the EM-qualification.
The first official home match for the women’s team in nearly 20 years played in a packed Adelaide Hall on Sunday. For the Danish basketkvinder is the fulfillment of a dream.
In the end, it was more than 280,000 dollars collected through landsholdsspillernes free work and, not least, a crowdfunding-page, where the danes, in the course of a week threw enough money that the impossible was made possible.
– I was quite touched that we managed. From the moment the page was up, checked I the course each time. And then suddenly after a week we were at the amount, and you could almost not believe it – we must be damned hard to play for EM!
– Now we will also fight for all those who have donated, says one of the greece, and shooting star Maria Jespersen, who is a professional in the C. D. Zamarat in the best Spanish variety.
The Danish basketkvinder is time to prepare for their first official matches under humble conditions in the Hørsholmhallen.
Here they met in three days for training up to the away game in Romania, as the team lost 70-55 on Thursday. The 280.000 collected crowns all went to the international basketforbund to the participation fee.
The only, the remaining budget allows are physiotherapists and a little fruit and cocoa after training. The rest is at their own expense.
Therefore, the players have accommodated themselves to each other, some on air mattresses or with up to three people in the same bed. Some come all the way from Køge south of Copenhagen every day to train with, and most of the other may ride a bike or take the bus from their lodgings to Hørsholm, denmark-the hall every morning.
– It is exactly the same relationship as when you were a little girl to the rallies. But although some of us have experienced completely different compared to College basketball in the UNITED states or in other european leagues, we take it with. It is not optimal, but we are all so very much for the here, says Mary Jespersen, who himself also played a number of years in the UNITED states for the University of Southern Florida.
Captain Gritt Ryder plays on a daily basis in Hørsholm-the club Hørsholm 79ers, and her residence act in the hotel, there is not afford, for many of her fellow players.
– It might be difficult to perform at 100 percent, for example, when sleeping several in a bed every night and to facilitate it all by yourself. But it is the terms, and we are all just excited to be allowed to represent Denmark, says Ryder.
Maria Jespersen and greece, and states, Gritt Ryder, within an international training on Tuesday. Ryder is at home in Hørsholmhallen, where she daily turns its folds for the Hørsholm 79ers. Photo: Tariq Mikkel Khan.
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pioneering spirit: Girls must dream big
The new Danish defense can also touch will be the pioneers and make the Danish national team and the basketball-sport more for girls in Denmark. For although Maria Jespersen as a young man has looked up to some of them, that now her landsholdskolleger, so she has always been foreign or male players as role models.
A Danish defense can also touch there was not talk about in the course of her upbringing. The box was empty, and after some mediocre results in the 1970s was female landsholdsbasket been a city in Russia.
A project, no one would believe, until a team was assembled to participate in a small european championship for miniput-nations, namely the so-called European Championship for Small Countries in Ireland.
The rally ended, however, in a surprising show of strength from the Danish side, which, after, on average, to have crushed opponents like Ireland and Norway with over 60 points won the final with the sovereign digits 93-59.
The large difference of level, they got the other countries to nicely to ask the Danish staff not to attend the event again. It was the early start on what is now a year, 50.000 kroners volunteering and more than 200,000 dkr donated money from ordinary danes later has become a reality.
Maria Jespersen is humble and grateful, but keen to give the danes something for the money. Above all the role models which they themselves did not have the opportunity to see.
– We hope that there are some little girls who are watching us play, and thinking: We want to be like her.
– Although we might have some female players to look up to, so there was no defense can also touch at the time, so it was not currently.
I hope that the EM-project will provide the next generation has someone to identify with and get them to dream big. We will give them some of the possibilities we have not even got, tells Maria Jespersen.
Danish players listen to tactical instructions during the training sessions in the Hørsholmhallen. Photo: Tariq Mikkel Khan.
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Italy is the top professional
After a over handball match for the U12 girls occupy the national team halgulvet and began to run after the national coach Jesper Crowned the flute. The mood is high.
In the 16 women wide squad, there are five who have flown in from clubs in the UNITED states and Spain, which are considered to be among Europe’s strongest leagues.
the Rest play in the domestic league with the exception of two players, respectively, in the Swedish and icelandic.
Denmark is ago mini-the euro in the last year increased meteorisk in the world. From having been tredjesidst worldwide is the now number 46, two places ahead of Romania. It is, however, especially the bonus points gained by the victories of over 20 points, as the danes had plenty of during the massacre for the irish rally.
In the group, Denmark must also meet the two topnationer Turkey and Italy, and after a home – and-home match against all three opponents will be the two top-ranking countries go further in qualifying.
Denmark play Sunday for the 1800 people in the Adelaide Hall at a topprofessionelt and well-oiled Italian crew, who, as storfavoritter put up with reporters from Sky Sports and a staff of 30.
the Match can be followed live on Extra the Magazine’s website from at. 15.30.
