FC St. Pauli

Welcome, welcome, benvenuti is the message on a large brown-and-white St. Pauli flag in front of the Hotel Bad Fallenbach in the Passeier Valley when we finally reach our destination on the staff bus. The transfer journey along the winding mountain roads from Bolzano Airport to the idyllic municipality of St. Leonhard in Passeier takes around half an hour and is a bit like a ride on the "Wild Mouse" at the DOM funfair next to the Millerntor: not for the faint-hearted or people with vertigo. We’re not exactly used to mountain scenery and roads in Hamburg, are we?

"I'm still a bit giddy," says one of my colleagues from the media department as we waited for the team bus in front of the Bad Fallenbach Hotel, where some of the hotel guests and a group of our Little Rascals had got themselves into position to welcome the Schultz charges. After a warm round of applause and brief autograph session on arrival, the Boys in Brown made a beeline for the hotel restaurant as soon as they had checked into their rooms. "I'm starving," says keeper Dennis Smarsch with a grin. The bus ride was more relaxing by comparison.

The delegation is made up of 27 players plus the coaching team, the director of sport, the team manager, the physios, backroom staff and a small team from the media department. Team manager Jonas Wömmel spent several months planning the training camp down to the last detail to ensure the Boys in Brown get the best-possible preparation for the new campaign over eight days in South Tyrol. He visited the Hotel Bad Fallenbach in the Passeier Valley back in March and was very taken by the surroundings, the hotel and the family that run it. "It's nice to be able to talk to the owners in person right from the start, much more personal than when you're dealing with a big hotel chain."

Jonas also met the mayor and had lots of conversations with the tourism association. Everywhere he went, he had the feeling FC St. Pauli were very welcome in the Passeier Valley. "Our partners in the Passeier Valley put so much effort into supporting us from the outset, which was really nice."

Before tackling an extensive buffet, the St. Pauli party were warmly welcomed by mayor Robert Tschöll. "We've been preparing for weeks to make your stay as good as it possibly can be. We're delighted to be able to welcome you all here."

After lunch, the opening training session was lined up for late afternoon. A group of fans had made themselves comfortable on the small grandstand, let's hope they had enough sunscreen with them. The panorama mountain backdrop reminds me of the film Heidi. "Yodel-Ay-Ee-Oooo!" I almost wondered if Heidi's grandfather, Alpöhi, would drop by to work up a sweat with the lads. Given that it was a steady 31 degrees in the shade, one thing was particularly important besides all the work with the ball and that was taking on plenty of water.

So what happens next now the foundations for a successful training camp have been laid? Watch this space.

Photos: FC St. Pauli / Witters