EIGENE GESCHICHTEN - TEAM MÜNCHEN HANDBALL

"Ich empfehle es allen!"

Hallo! Ich bin Französin und wohne seit 3 Jahren in München. Als ich angekommen bin wollte ich anfangen mit einem Teamsport und am besten Handball. Ich habe schnell die Angebote von der Stadt München gesehen, mit welchen man Basketball aber kein Handball spielen konnte... Ich habe dann mit Fitness und Rückengymnastik angefangen und habe zum Glück nach einem Gymnastik Kurs das Handball Teammünchen zufällig kennengelernt.
Sie haben mich direkt zum Spielen eingeladen und waren sehr freundlich. Sie haben mir von Anfang an Handball gelernt, immer mit guter Stimmung und haben meine Motivation gepflegt!!
Das Training ist einen sehr guten Moment zusammen und macht echt Spaß. Alle sind super nett, passen auf einander und besonders auf die Frauen auf. Sie sind sehr geduldig mit mir die noch eine Anfangerin beim Handball ist.
Das Team organisiert dazu coole Events um uns besser kennenzulernen, es gibt wirklich eine gute Stimmung! Ich empfehle es allen

"Perfect combination of fun and exercise"

Being part of Team München‘s Handball Team is the perfect combination of fun and exercise. It doesn’t matter where you come from and whether you‘re a pro or rookie in playing Handball - everybody is very welcoming and supportive!

"Jetzt spiele ich schon seit 2 Jahren regelmäßig Handball und kann mir ein Leben ohne gar nicht mehr so richtig vorstellen."

Mit 32 das erste Mal Handball spielen hätte eine ziemlich unangenehme Erfahrung sein können, zumal ich transgender bin. Bei mir war das Gegenteil der Fall. Vom ersten Training an habe ich mich beim Handball Team von Team München willkommen gefühlt. Auch wenn die Lernkurve ganz schön steil war - ich musste am Anfang erst mal lernen nicht die Augen zu schließen wenn ein Ball kommt - hatte ich in (fast) jedem Training Spaß. Klar hatte ich auch Momente in denen ich dachte "Das lerne ich nie", aber meine Trainer Espen und David haben mich immer motiviert. Auch meine MannschaftskollegInnen haben mich immer unterstützt und angefeuert. Über das erste Tor das ich geworfen habe, habe sich alle mit mir gefreut.

Jetzt spiele ich schon seit 2 Jahren regelmäßig Handball und kann mir ein Leben ohne gar nicht mehr so richtig vorstellen.

"A special LGBTQ+ team exists here in Munich, that’s amazing!!!"

As a 30 years old sporty guy who moved recently to Munich, one of my main interest was to find the appropriate place to enjoy my favorite hobby, doing sport. Traveling a lot around the world, every time I move to a new city, finding a good ‘’team sport’’ team that fulfill my needs was always a challenge. Every time I join a new team, there were something missing, even the trainer or the players lack the sense of humor, the organizers were seeking more commercial benefits, or simply I didn’t feel comfortable as a gay guy surrounded by mainly hetero mates.
One year ago, while participating in a LGBTQ+ gathering organized by a youth association in Munich, I heard for the first time about ‘’Team München’’. My first reaction was: ‘’Wow, a special LGBTQ+ team exists here in Munich, that’s amazing!!!’’.

When you read my first reaction, maybe you would say I am exaggerating a bit, and I completely understand your reaction. For sure you are reading my words on a page for an LGBTQ+ sport team, but you completely ignored that this opportunity is really rare and doesn’t exists everywhere, that’s what I experienced in a lot of cities where I lived before moving to Munich!

Having a gay team is really amazing! Can you imagine how cool and comfortable is, to be playing in a gay team?!
My first impression, even before knowing more about ‘’Team München’’ or joining it, was to feel good, happy and relaxed. To enjoy my favorite hobby, surrounded by gay people who shared with me the same ‘’sexual experience and coming out’’ is such a nice idea, we are all there ‘’similar’’, a place where I am not discriminated or categorized depending on my sexual preferences and interests.

My second impression was also so impressive. By looking on the web page of ‘’Team München’’, I was really surprised by the amount of sports available in this team. A simple surfing on the Web page, gave me a good overview and insights about how to proceed for the next step. The choice of the sport was at the same time easy and confusing. Confused between Basketball and Handball, I have chosen to contact both teams and give a try. Very warm and welcoming was the reply of both teams. With a personal preference for Handball I planned to join the Handball team for a first training trial, and then the Basketball team.
Impressed by the warm welcoming and the care that I got from the trainers and the players of the team, I had the feeling to ‘’belong’’ to this team for years ago, to be an old team mate or even an old friend! These positive vibes made the task much easier, I have chosen to join the Handball team and here I am for months now.
By joining a gay team like ‘’Team München’’, I felt getting what a lot of gay people seek for, the ‘’safety’’. Even though that in many cities in the world, the rights of the LGBTQ+ community are somehow more or less respected, there’s other places, where the "toxic masculinity" is much more dominant, the requirement for the safety and the protection of the LGBTQ+ community is still considered as a ‘’cliché’’. In these places, LGBTQ+ community is still suffering from discrimination and disparity. I am so glad to join this team.

It’s so important to establish such kind of clubs, everywhere in the world and also to support this kind of initiative, first of all by joining these clubs, and also by motivating our surround to join them. LGBTQ+ community needs more safe space like this to practice, exercise, learn and develop.
What I got from this experience is a lot, and still getting more. Now being playing for months with the Handball team of ‘’Team München’’, I got to make a lot of new connections and friends, in a very relaxed way. It provides a great place for socializing outside the gay party scene or the online dating; it is a great way of meeting new friends who share with me the same hobby and interests. The big structure of ‘’Team München’’ and the big number of members in this team, provide a great opportunity to meet a lot of new people in the context of common social events organized between all the sports groups. Gay clubs in general, and ‘’Team München’’ in particular, is not only a sports club but also a place for mutual respect, diversity and fun, it’s a big group of friends.

"A safe place where no one is judging or being judged"

In my childhood and youth I always played handball in regional teams around where I grew up. Almost all of the memories I have from that time are only positive, but what I didn`t like was the stereotypical "locker room talk" which can be a very brutal experience for a young closeted gay guy. At the age of 18 I came out to my team mates and everyone was supportive and great about it, but still I never felt 100% comfortable with all aspects of the team sports culture that often includes a macho attitude that I don`t relate to.

15 years ago I joined an LGBTQ sports team for the first time and it was an amazing experience. All the positive things from my time in my old team were the same, but there is another level of inclusiveness and acceptance for diversity in an LGBTQ team than in other clubs. Everyone can fully be themselves without pretending to be anything else. It is a safe place where no one is judging or being judged. We in the LGBTQ community always proudly say that we are diverse and open, but that is unfortunately not always my experience with the gay scene in general. However, the LGBTQ sports teams I have been a member of truly are open, diverse, accepting and understanding. It is a perfect way to meet new people and get new friends. The first thing I did when I moved to Munich was to look up if there is an LGBTQ sports club here.

LGBTQ sports teams are also more than just a sports team. As an institution it is important that we continue existing as a club and team - for the LGBTQ community but also for the city we live in. We are lucky enough to live in a place like Munich, where it is more open and accepting than many other places in the world. But our club is also needed here. We welcome everyone with open arms, and we are visible in the Munich cityscape when we are representing Team München through our matches and tournaments, and through events like the Pride Parade.

I love Team München and I think the work our club is doing is so important for the whole community. With 20 different sports and many hundreds of members Team München is a place for everyone. I am very happy and I feel very lucky to be a part of this club and hope to be able to continue playing for many more years!