Walter Birkhold

Walter Birkhold (born September 16, 1935 in Heidenheim an der Brenz ; † January 21, 2013 in Ballendorf ), called "Bize", was a German soccer player who played for VfL Heidenheim and made 18 international matches for the German national soccer team between 1963 and 1966 the amateurs denied.

career

VfL Heidenheim (from 1972/73 Heidenheimer Sportbund), 1947 to 1971

The career of football player Walter Birkhold began and ended in Heidenheim an der Brenz, on the eastern Swabian Alb . Walter Birkhold wore the jersey of his home club VfL Heidenheim from the beginning to the end of his playing career. After playing on the street, he signed up with his father's consent in the youth department of the local VfL and successfully went through Max Weggenmann's talent school. Already at the age of 17, the versatile talent, who was characterized by outstanding running characteristics, played in the first team of VfL Heidenheim. As a 19-year-old, he was on the Heidenheimer promotion team in 1954/55, which made it into the 1st amateur league in Württemberg. From the round 1955/56 to 1970/71 "the man with the two lungs" played continuously with his VfL in the top amateur class of Württemberg. "Bize" played over 1000 games for Heidenheim in these years. In 1965 he and his team won the Württemberg Cup and therefore played the game against regional league representative SSV Reutlingen 05 in the South German Cup on September 26, 1965 . In June, Reutlingen narrowly failed in the promotion round to the Bundesliga by Borussia Mönchengladbach , so that the 2: 4 home defeat on the VfL-Platz on Wilhelmstrasse against the clear favorite was to be overcome. In the Württemberg federation selection, Birkhold made 29 appearances and made it to the semi-finals with the WFV team in the 1963 regional cup competition , where they failed with 0-2 goals against the eventual cup winner Bavaria. Last but not least, the achievements in this competition brought "Bize" Birkhold to the amateur national team of the DFB in 1963 at the age of 28. In his hometown of Heidenheim he was voted "Sportsman of the Year 1963".

Amateur national team, 1963 to 1966

Helmut Schön , DFB trainer and assistant to national trainer Sepp Herberger , built a new amateur soccer team in 1963. The goal was to qualify for the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The amateurs played their first international match against Italy on April 13, 1963 in Alassio. The man from Heidenheim was part of Helmut Schön's squad and came on as the right runner for Wilhelm Zott from Wacker Munich in the second half . The game was lost with 1: 2 goals. In May the team took part in an anniversary tournament in England. Walter Birkhold completed all four games within eight days and from then on belonged to the regular cast of the amateur national team under coach Schön. The DFB-Elf moved into the final against Scotland in England, but lost the final after a 2-1 half-time lead with 2: 5 goals. In June the team won a friendly game in victories against Japan with 4-0 goals. Only after the summer break were the two German-German elimination games against the GDR Olympic team in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz) and Hanover in September. After an almost three-month break in the game, Walter Birkhold's men had no chance on September 15 in the first leg against the DFV national players in the clear 3-0 defeat. Despite the 2-1 victory eight days later in Hanover, the entry into the Olympic qualifying round was missed. In October, the DFB amateurs took part in the pre-Olympic football tournament in Tokyo. The tournament with three games took place within five days and the German amateurs could be celebrated as winners. "Bize" took on his usual role in midfield as a strong right runner. In his memory, the personal greeting of the players by Emperor Hirohito is firmly impressed. In May 1964, the amateur national team took part in a tournament in Italy. After the 1-1 final against Spain in Genoa on June 2, Germany was declared the winner. Walter Birkhold played all 13 amateur international games held in 1963 and 1964. The standard runner series consisted of Birkhold, Wilhelm Zott and Horst Kunzmann . When the UEFA Amateur Cup was held for the first time in 1966, “Bize” played his 18th and last international match against Yugoslavia in Koblenz on December 7th at the age of 31. In the 3-3 draw, he scored one goal. Together with Horst Kunzmann (20 international matches) he said goodbye to the amateur national team with this game. Birkhold particularly fondly remembers this time at the DFB, from which he was awarded the silver badge of honor. This also includes the encounters at the international matches with the talents and later greats such as Gerhard Neuser , Sepp Maier , Helmut Sandmann , Bernd Dörfel , Jürgen Grabowski , Norbert Nigbur and Horst Köppel .

Farewell as an active person

In July 1971 "Bize" Birkhold officially said goodbye as a player with a game of his VfL Heidenheim against the WFV selection. Despite specific offers from VfB Stuttgart , Werder Bremen and FC Bayern Munich , the amateur national player had not dared to make the leap into the Bundesliga at the age of 28 and was always loyal to VfL. After he left, he played for a few more years in the AH ("Alte Herren").

literature

• Kicker Almanach 1989, Copress-Verlag, Munich, ISBN 3-7679-0245-1 .
• Football Yearbook '80, DFB, Limpert Verlag, 1980, ISBN 3-7853-1304-7 .
• Hardy Greens : Encyclopedia of German League Football. Volume 7: Club Lexicon . AGON-Sportverlag, Kassel 2001, ISBN 3-89784-147-9 .
• Southern Germany's football history in tabular form 1897-1988, Ludolf Hyll, Karlsruhe, 1989.
• Documents from the former sports editor of the Heidenheimer Zeitung, Franz Oszfolk.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Der Kicker No. 51 of December 23, 1963, p. 28.