'We have taken a huge step forward'

Friederike Repohl will end her long playing career in a few weeks in the summer of 2026. The 31-year-old goalkeeper and captain of the Bayer 04 Women’s team is hoping to return to the pitch after tearing a knee ligament. In an interview with Werkself Magazin, the Bielefeld-born keeper talks about her reasons for retiring, looks back on her five years at Leverkusen and reveals what advice she would give to young players.

Friederike, how have you found the right time to end your long playing career?

Repohl: I've been asking myself that difficult question for quite a long time. For the past two Christmas’s, I thought about how much longer I wanted to play, but I wasn't really ready to make a decision. But now, during this winter break, it felt just right. I couldn't imagine being at exactly the same point again next year. That's why it was clear to me that I end my contract in the summer.

What specific considerations led to this? 31 is not really an age for a goalkeeper...

Repohl: The body comes first. I've had quite a few injuries recently, not always major ones, but I can hardly think of a part of my body that hasn't been affected. The biggest problem is my damaged left knee, where I tore two cruciate ligaments early on and which has to withstand a lot of twisting and turning. Over the last two or three years, the pain has increased significantly. In the end, I said it didn't have to be like that any longer - also because I still have an incredible number of years ahead of me after my career.

Did other things play a role besides the physical strain?

Repohl: I've been married for four years now and sport has always been at the centre of everything I've done. As a result, I've made a lot of compromises in my private life and have mostly been away from home, which is still Bielefeld for me. I come from there, so does my husband, my parents live there, it's the centre of our lives. Those private things have become more important to me. I feel the time has finally come. And I also finished studying last year and would soon like to embark on a second career.

What plans do you have for the near future?

Repohl: First of all, it's time for a holiday. My husband and I have owned a sailing boat for a few years now. We set off from Laboe on the Kiel Fjord and then we sail all over the Baltic Sea, whichever way the wind is blowing. That totally relaxes me.

And what are the next steps in your career?

Repohl: I have completed two bachelor's degrees, General Biology and Nutritional Sciences, and could well imagine working in an outpatient rehabilitation centre or in a hospital where patients are cared for after illness or operations. Another focus could be quality assurance in food companies, after I learnt to appreciate laboratory work during my organic studies. At the moment, I'm in the application phase, so ideally my normal working life will start in July.

Let's look back on your five years at Bayer 04: How has women's football changed at the club in that time?

Repohl: When I think back to my first season here and see where we are now, it's a world of difference. We are much more professional and have taken a huge step forward: It starts with the coaching and support team, we now have two permanent physios with us, we are regularly provided with meals - the club has done a great deal in this respect and laid the foundations for a professional environment. Now I see it as our duty as a team to follow suit with sporting success. We've already moved in the right direction this season and the last. But we have to keep going.

How do you rate the season so far?

Repohl: It's a crazy up and down. In the Rückrunde, we actually got ourselves back into a situation where we had third place in our own hands, but then we didn't get the results in some important games. In terms of squad quality, we can definitely compete with our direct rivals in the battle for third place. But we probably lost too many games unnecessarily, as against Essen (0-1, ed.) or in Bremen (0-1). You can't afford defeats like that if you want to finish third. We have to be that honest. We have to look at ourselves.

How do you see the development of professional women's football in Germany in general?

Repohl: I see this step towards our own league association as positive - and I hope that there are good people there who know what they are doing and that some things will improve quickly as a result. In recent years, I sometimes had the feeling that we were being forgotten by the DFB. Why do we have to have Monday games in a league that is not yet fully professionalised? I’ve also often found the timing of many fixtures to be very unfortunate. The fact the clubs now have more control over this can do a lot of good.

Did you reach a higher level as a goalkeeper in Leverkusen?

Repohl: I think so. It was good for me to receive different input and new stimuli in training from three goalkeeping coaches (Bennet Strutz, Sören Rittmeier, Patrick Bade, ed.). In particular, the past three years working with Pat (Bade, ed.) have taken my goalkeeping game to a new level. But the decisive factor was I gained confidence here and played regularly.

Was the prospect of more playing time the only key factor in your move from Wolfsburg?

Repohl: I could have extended my contract with VfL in 2021, the club was happy with me. But it was clear to me that I wasn't seen as the number one there and would have to go somewhere else if I wanted to play.

Nevertheless, at Bayer 04 you were the reserve keeper behind Anna Klink.

Repohl: I struggled a lot at the beginning and didn't perform to my own expectations. That's why I felt it was completely justified for Anna to play. It took six months until my performance was right and I was able to stake a claim. It was a bit of a culture shock for me at the beginning.

Was it that bad?

Repohl: The overall package was simply totally different to Wolfsburg, where we were able to concentrate completely on the football: The jerseys were ready, the towels, everything you needed to warm up. Here at Kurtekotten there was suddenly collecting the balls, you had to take care of the laundry, little things like that. On top of that, my flat in Opladen, which was just ready for me to move into, was affected by the severe flooding in the Rhineland, the power went out for several days and so I had to find somewhere else to stay for a while. The first six months were really difficult.

The time after that went all the better. You have been captain for the last two years. What led you to that?

Repohl: I think other people can answer that. Roberto (Pätzold, ed.) appointed me as captain, but I'm also generally someone who speaks my mind openly. When we have team meetings, I say what I think. My experience probably contributed to me being given this role. I put a lot of energy into the job and enjoyed doing it.

Many of your team-mates are ten or twelve years younger than you. Is that evident in your daily interactions?

Repohl: Yes, yes. There are completely different topics and things that are important in the dressing room and social media in particular plays a big role, of course. We often make fun of it and pretend I have no idea about it. Then the girls explain everything to me as if I'm 40 years older than them. (laughs)

What advice can you give them from your experience for their sporting career?

Repohl: That you can't make progress without extra work. By that I don't just mean on the pitch, but above all in your head. It's essential to actively engage and deal with many things that influence performance. This includes nutrition, sleep, regeneration, but also tactical elements that promote understanding of the game.

How would you like to be remembered in Leverkusen?

Repohl: I really appreciated the warm words from our sporting director Achim Feifel about my departure. It means a lot to me when people say I had an impact on our development and helped the team to take a step forward. That's enough for me, I don't need to shout out any numbers or stats.

What would be the ideal scenario for you in your last two months here? The goal is certainly to get back on the pitch after tearing your knee ligament...

Repohl: That would be nice, but the only thing that matters for now is the knee gets better and I don't risk too much too soon. The prognosis after the injury ranged from nine to twelve weeks off, which is a relatively long time. Based on that, I could still play games from the end of April, but I'm trying to stay relaxed. What will be, will be, and if it doesn't, then it doesn't. On the whole, I'm completely happy with my career.

 

 

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