Kicking a ball about has been part of the three athletes’ lives since their youngest years: Leana Zaugg switched from floorball to soccer at the age of eight, while Stephanie Waeber followed her brother to the training ground at the age of nine – and stayed: “I was so happy when I told my parents that I wanted to play soccer for the club too.”

“I was so happy when I told my parents that I wanted to play soccer for the club too.”

Stephanie Waeber

Soccer remains a key part of their lives: the three students from the University of Bern play together for the YB Women's team. This year, they celebrated the greatest success of their sporting careers by winning the championship title. Their path to this point hasn’t always been smooth, though, and has been marked by setbacks at times.

Overcoming injuries

Nicole Tiller recently had a second cruciate ligament tear to recover from, “You can learn a lot from an injury. You realize who you are without soccer – which is very valuable.” Her longing for the ball and her team was her motivation to fight back onto the pitch.

Stephanie Waeber also suffered a cruciate ligament tear in 2019, while Leana Zaugg has had to contend with a knee injury. Stephanie found this time particularly difficult, “I had to support the team from the outside. I found it very difficult not having any influence on the actual matches.”

Playing soccer doesn’t have to mean studying sports

Today, they stand in the spotlight as champions. But off the pitch, there’s also the stress of studying and exams. The three students are all about to finish their degrees – which aren’t in sports science, although both Leana Zaugg and Nicole Tiller say they could have imagined studying sports. While Stephanie Waeber decided on business administration and Nicole Tiller chose medicine, Leana Zaugg ultimately enrolled in psychology.

A balancing act between the ball and books

Leana Zaugg and Stephanie Waeber have organized their day-to-day university life themselves, without being part of the university’s “Elite Sports and Studies” program, as they have found their fields of study to be very flexible, “I’ve been able to organize my schedule myself,” says Stephanie Waeber, “If any of my classes overlapped with training, I simply chose others. I didn’t need the university's support.”

Nicole Tiller, on the other hand, would have liked to have had a little more support from the university, “There are certain aspects of medical school, such as internships, that cannot simply be postponed. More flexibility from the university would have helped me. After all, you also gain skills and experience from sports that will help you later as a doctor.”

Studies and sports complement each other

Being able to pursue careers, sports and studies side by side requires good self-organization, discipline, and perseverance. “If there isn’t any time to study before training, you just have to fit it in afterwards. It’s a matter of balancing the two things,” explains Leana Zaugg. Nicole Tiller adds, “You want to get the best of both worlds. You ultimately have to just keep at it.”

External support

External support has been needed to ensure that everything can be achieved. And that’s something the young women mainly get from their friends and family. Stephanie Waeber’s family attends almost every match, “At away matches in particular, it motivates me hugely if someone is there.

“You want to get the best of both worlds and to do as well as you can. You ultimately have to just keep at it.”

Leana Zaugg

Focus on goals

The soccer season is over, the title has been won. Yet as great as the joy is, the girls’ focus has returned to their studies. Leana Zaugg and Stephanie Waeber are set to complete their master’s degree programs in the next six months. And Leana has decided to pursue her soccer career further: at the end of this successful season, she is moving to VfL Bochum.

Stephanie Waeber also hopes to play abroad one day. And she also wants to complete an internship to gain a better idea of her professional future outside of soccer.

Nicole Tiller, on the other hand, is completing her bachelor’s degree in medicine and will then continue her studies with a master's degree. She also wants to return to the soccer pitch after her injury. With their dedication and discipline, they seem certain to achieve these goals.