In the beginning they were only the “butterfly catchers” for VfB Friedrichshafen – but meanwhile the Lacrosse team is recognized and respected. Nurses, space technicians, pupils and students: The Lacrosse team integrates them all. In the Second Bundesliga South, the men’s team and women’s team fight against other university and city teams such as Munich, Heidelberg and Stuttgart in the Bundesliga.

“In the meantime, we have convinced VfB,” explains Fabian Höhner, lacrosse heads for defense. Everyone on the pitch is the same, whether you’re tall, short, man or woman, defensive players can use these lacrosse heads. “The bottom line is that you’re dealing with students from all disciplines and semesters, which isn’t usually the case,” says Fabian.

Every beginning was difficult: the lacrosse team was founded by Jakob Gillmann and Marius Greb in 2011. Initially, however, they had little success, even when they joined forces to form a team with Constance. Last summer, the big setback came: a few days before the start of the league, Konstanz cancelled the cooperation. The problem was exacerbated because important players went abroad. “We stood there with nothing and then entered an independent team overnight,” Fabian describes the situation. “We trained hard and lost 1:10 against Konstanz in the first half. But in the second half of the season we showed them and won. Now we’re in the good midfield of the Second Bundesliga South.” The men’s team, which was built up for the fun of sport, has become a well-established team. “We’re now at a level where we also beat the others away every now and then, it’s fun,” Fabian adds.

Parallel to the foundation of the men’s team, a women’s team has also built up. The success of the men has awakened the ambition of the women, even though they had to struggle with similar problems: “We had the problem that many girls who meant a lot to the team had broken away in the meantime,” explains Pia Ottes, one of the three coaches of the women’s team, the situation. But entering the Bundesliga in 2012 was intended to spark a new sense of cohesion. In the first season they had no goals at all, they just wanted to take part in the tournaments. “In the first half of the season we were penultimate, which means we were better than another team, and we successfully defended this place in the second half. We were really proud of that,” says Pia.

The Lacrosse team is particularly satisfied with the successful integration, including that of Internationals: “When students who don’t speak German join in the training, we hold the training in English,” says Fabian. “We ladies, for example, had a theory lesson, some of which we mastered in English with the help of hands and feet,” adds Pia. As with all other student organizations, there is a constant struggle for members in sport. “We can only train properly if everyone is there,” admits Fabian. “We simply have fixed times when you have to be there. If someone is missing, then the whole team suffers and everyone understands that with time. I hadn’t experienced this sense of responsibility in any other organisation here before.”