Fairy tales with heart and soul
FC Baden’s promotion to the dieci Challenge League was completely unexpected. The adventure has involved a great deal of passion. The players commute between office and pitch!
In spring 2006, Switzerland was looking forward to the upcoming World Cup in Germany. Baschi's hit “Bring en hei” (Bring it Home) was being played non-stop on the radio, and football fans all over the country joined in. Only a few people recorded the drama that took place in the St. Jakob athletics stadium in Basel in the May: On the final matchday of the Challenge League, FC Baden lost 1-3 at FC Concordia. They went down to the 1. Liga (1st League Classic). This was a serious blow for the proud Aargau club, which was part of the National League and even spent a season in the top league.
At the time of this relegation, the US President was George W. Bush, the iPhone was not yet on the market and MySpace was by far the most popular social media platform. An eternity was to pass before FC Baden managed to unexpectedly return to the dieci Challenge League last summer. The Aargau team had just gone up to the Promotion League and made a sensational ascent straight through to the second highest league. The floodlights in the Esp stadium were hastily prepared to meet the specifications. Otherwise, everything remained the same for the modest newcomers - and that made them exotic players in this league.
Estate agents and draughtsmen on the pitch
While competitor teams have professional status, FC Baden has remained a club that relies on a great deal of volunteer work and the passion of its members. And the players even work part time. Captain Patrick Muff, for example, is quality manager at Casino Baden and has to apply for time off for the Friday matches. Striker Marin Wiskemann - who made headlines three years ago when he took control of a motorboat that was speeding around without a driver, after jumping from the bank at Zurich’s Flussbad Letten bathing area - was able to go part time in his job as a draughtsman. However, his fellow striker Davide Giampà still works full time. On weekdays, the 30-year-old works as an estate agent, and at weekends he attempts to score goals for FC Baden.
Daring to jump onto the motorboat back then, and doing battle against FC Aarau nowadays: Marin Wiskemann.
Giampà symbolises the incredible journey of FC Baden. Until a few years ago he was still a central defender. Since then, he has moved further and further forward on the pitch. Suddenly, he is the best goal scorer in the entire dieci Challenge League! He just needs to practice his celebrating skills a bit: Recently, when he scored the 2-1 winner in Vaduz, he marked this by standing on the advertising board in front of his own fans, and suffered a fall. Luckily nothing happened to him.
Because coach Michael Winsauer’s players work in jobs during the day, training only takes place in the evenings, four times a week in Baden. It is therefore all the more astonishing that FC Baden is enjoying 5th place after more than a third of the season. “We are currently taking advantage of our opportunities, so I am happy if this is being noticed. I hope that this also gives us a boost in terms of performance,” says Davide Giampà. The aim is still to remain in the league. President Heinz Gassmann has made it clear that if the mission is successful, he will do everything he can to switch to professional status. Fairytale stories such as those of Davide Giampà help to find the necessary support.
Simply unstoppable: Baden’s top scorer Davide Giampà
This time FC Baden has the power to achieve it. Not like in 1917, when the club was relegated from Serie A, the highest league in the country at the time: During the First World War, land was taken over throughout the country in order to be able to feed the population. Unfortunately, the FC Baden stadium was ideal for this. Instead of passing tackling, it was sowing and harvesting took place there. The club had to withdraw from the championship as they had no pitch. It disappeared into the depths of amateur football for decades before its miraculous comeback. The fairy tale from back then continues now.
By the way: although wheat and potatoes no longer grow in the Esp stadium, you can now eat excellent food in Baden. The dieci branch there has been supplying the region with delicious pizzas since 2010.
