On Sunday, the BVB women’s handball team played in front of a record 11,112 spectators against Siofok KC in the Westfalenhalle and set several records in the process. Never before have so many fans in Germany watched a women’s handball match live in the hall, and never before has there been such a big attendance at a match in the EHF European League. Left-winger Lena Hausherr gave an interview, talking about her impressions of the day, which she still finds captivating days later.

The record game was a few days ago now. Have you already been able to process this extraordinary experience?

“No, not yet. I am slowly realising what we achieved and experienced on Sunday. But when I look at the videos and photos from the hall now, I still can’t believe it.”

Which moment stands out in particular for you?

“I have two moments in my head. Shortly before we came out on to the court, we were waiting under the stands in the hall and ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ came on. I associate that song with the BVB fan culture and big sporting events, so the song means a lot to me. I just enjoyed the moment and almost had tears in my eyes. The second moment was running out before the game. When more than 11,000 fans are cheering you, it just gives you goosebumps. It was something very special, and I will always remember that feeling.”

You are a Dortmund native. How many friends and relatives were there, and what did they think about it all?

“It felt like my entire family and all my friends were there, except for my grandparents. It would probably have been a bit too busy for them. It’s just nice to be able to share experiences like that. It was also an incredible event for all of them, and it makes me happy that they support me like that.” 

How did you sleep the night after the game?

“I actually slept much less and much worse the night after the game than I did the night before the game. I was quite emotional, so happy and couldn’t believe what had happened. I relived several moments from the game and could not sleep at all. It was just a perfect day!”

You watched the game from the bench at first. How was that, and how did you experience everything out on the court?

“On the bench, my nerves were ratcheted up a little because I saw how full the hall was. But then I just had itchy fingers – I desperately wanted to get out on to the court, play handball and soak up the atmosphere. When I came on to the court, it was just cool, celebrating every successful action with so many Black and Yellow fans behind you was just great. I had the feeling that in those moments, we got a lot of fans interested in women’s handball. I haven’t felt emotions like that before.” 

The game was also a complete success in terms of the result. How would you rate your performance?

“The victory and thus securing first place in the group was enormously important. On the one hand, because it means that in the quarter-finals, we will face a team who finished second in their group. On the other hand, for the momentum it has given us. I think we’ve been steadily improving in the European League and were able to finish the group stage the way we deserved – with this good performance. When we were still a bit tense and nervous in the first half, Yara ten Holte took the pressure off us with her saves. After the break, we played with a lot more freedom, and the fans in the hall carried us to victory.”

How can you find the necessary focus again ahead of the match against Bensheim on Saturday?

“That will be a major challenge, but we are all aware of it. On the one hand, we expended a lot of energy during Sunday’s game , and it will still take a few days to process everything. It’s lucky that we didn’t have a game on Wednesday this week. That gave us a little more time to wind down after the game. Now we have to focus our attention on the Bundesliga again. We have a score to settle after the cup match against Bensheim… I hope that we managed to capture the interest of a lot of fans in the Westfalenhalle, who will also support us in Wellinghofen in future!”