There’s a decent showing from British sides: Republica Leeds win the women-only competition, and Bristol’s Easton Cowboys claim the mixed-gender title alongside Berlin’s TeBe Party Army.
The setting, though, is exceptional: a manicured Bundesliga 2 pitch in a 32,000-capacity stadium, adorned with progressive slogans (“no human is illegal”, “football has no gender”). True, this is hardly the most technically impressive football tournament I’ve watched, but it’s also the only one at which pints of lager are passed along the touchline between substitutes. “Because some of the other teams are actually … fit.” “We’ll probably get beaten a lot though,” one player shrugs. I spend most of my time with East London’s Clapton Ultras, who praise the sense of community that they’ve found in this network of politicised sporting groups. From the outset, the atmosphere is jubilant, as enthusiastic participants waste little time in introducing themselves to one another, buying rounds and cheering each team (male, female and mixed) equally.
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