Question: How excited are you for the #FIHProLeague?
Janne Müller-Wieland: I am really excited to finally play in the new format: Especially I love that every game counts throughout the whole year, whereas we’re used to prepare for six months and have one big event. So, that will be a very new thing for us but I am really looking forward to it.
Q: What makes #FIHProLeague different from other events?
JMW: I think it’s different because first of all there has to have a certain amount of people watching it, there has to be broadcasting, it has to be very professional, which we only experience at the World Cups, European Championships, Olympics, etc. So to have that every couple of weeks throughout the year is very exciting. Also having home games as well as away games really makes it an interesting league to follow for both men and women.
Q: How does it feel to play games at home?
JMW: It is great to have more home games in Germany and not just for big events. Obviously Germany is a bigger country so you have to see where do we play which game to get most of the Germans to be able to watch the game because we are not Holland where you drive just one hour and everyone is there., We try to activate the crowds and make it accessible for others who are actually not playing hockey right now, get younger people who are just interested in sports and maybe inspire others.
Q: How will your preparation be different for #FIHProLeague?
JMW: So we prepare with a two-month physical period because that’s the only time we can build our strength and play hockey throughout the year. In Germany, we play the #FIHProLeague then we play the Bundesliga, then we play European Championships and Olympic Qualifiers so it is a very very busy year and this is the only time right now where we can build the strength with, but other than that everything we will have to develop along the way when we are on tour.
Q: Is #FIHProLeague a topic of discussion with your friends and family?
JMW: You don’t really want to share a calendar with family where everything is red if you look at it. If you start doing it in the longer way, we have home games, so family and friends can actually see the action as well and not just watch TV at 4am in the morning. It was a big thing to organize university, job, hockey and everything around it but I think we have got a good set-up right now and I am sure we will learn a lot in the first year as well.
Q: Who will win?
JMW: I think because of such a long leaguee over such a long period of time, it’s really unpredictable to say who would come out on the top because it’s not about who is the best in two weeks time but it is over a course of six months and that with all the other circumstances at home. So, I think it is really exciting because everyone has got a fair chance to win it since you just concentrate on collecting points. Ireland is not in it so it’s up for everyone to win probably.
#FIHProLeague
