FCZ women take men by the hand

The fact that footballers are accompanied to big games by so-called escort kids is commonplace today. Just as naturally, many women play their role as pretty decoration of football stars next to the pitch. In women's football, however, women are now the stars, even if they are much less in the limelight than their male counterparts. The idea of escorts was born out of the desire to draw more attention to women's football, as Michael Benz of the agency responsible, Michael Benz Kommunikationsberatung, told the SDA news agency on Tuesday.

The FCZ Women are particularly successful in Switzerland: They qualified for the Champions League for the sixth time in 2014 - "an unprecedented story in Swiss women's football," according to a statement from FCZ about the men's campaign. The FCZ players are now inviting men over the age of 18 to accompany them to Spiefeld when they arrive at Zurich's Letzigrund for the match against Croatia's ZNK Osijek on October 15. To find the right ones, the club has launched an Internet appeal.

Free tickets as a consolation prize

Applicants must meet three requirements: They must be at least 18 years old and live in Switzerland - and they must not be too tall, because the men have to fit into the UEFA shirt. Benz expected a few dozen applications. However, this number was already exceeded several times over on the day of the call: By the evening, 600 applications had already been received, Marion Daube, managing director of FCZ Women, told Radio SRF1's "Regionaljournal Zürich-Schaffhausen." Who will finally be the chosen ones will be decided by the team. But even those who are not chosen do not go empty-handed: Each applicant receives two free tickets for the game. Whether the campaign will be repeated in the future is still open. Applications are due by Sunday, October 12, at Companions.ch possible. (SDA/hae)