On Sunday, the F II juniors played for the first time at the Day of Children's Football in Montabaur in the new Funino game format, which will be applied to F and G juniors starting next season. On a playing field of approximately 30 meters x 25 meters with two small goals on each of the two end lines, four players face each other, who are only allowed to shoot from a zone six meters in front of the goals. No goalkeepers, no corner kicks, no throw-ins, and a squad consisting of only five players. If a team scores a goal, one player must be substituted. If a team leads by three goals, they must play with one fewer player until the next goal is scored against them. The kids are supposed to have many ball contacts and constantly deal with new game situations. The main focus is on playing short, ground passes.
A form of play that is controversially and sometimes hotly debated among coaches, officials, and parents – unlike with the kids. They came, saw, and simply played. "Although we didn't train Funino before, our kickers had no problems implementing the new style of play right away. The kids had a lot of fun with it," explained F II coach Lukas Gronwald, who, along with his assistant coach Paul Becker, supervised the two ABC teams in Montabaur. The results of his team were also impressive: six games, four wins, one draw, and one loss with a goal difference of 23:9 at the end for the young ABC players. The second ABC team achieved three wins, one draw, and two losses – also not bad.
It was a successful Funino debut for the young footballers from the Ahr Valley.