Rostislav Špalek - Daddy digs coal, his daughters play football

With a black and yellow scarf around his neck, Rostislav Špalek, the chargeman of a coal getting team of the northern plant of ČSM Mine arrived at Hlučín since his fourteen year old daughter Veronika was to take part in the International Women's Football Championship as a member of the FC IRP Český Těšín women's football team, the club sponsored by Stonava mine.

“I, myself, used to play football when I attended the primary school. The girls wanted to give it a try, so I thought why not? The older one is already playing in the third league. The younger Adriana is only twelve years old and plays in the prep category,“ said Špalek, who accompanies his daughters to their matches whenever he is not too busy at work. His wife Monika often joins them too.

“We ended up fifth in the competition of ten. But we had the ambition to finish in the fourth place or better. In the women's league competition FC IRP Český Těšín team after the autumn season ranked fifth out of twelve teams,“ went on Špalek. His home mine donated a several thousand crowns to the club, which were spent on balls, football kits and training wear.

Acting as a coach of Špalek's daughters and others is the wife of Petr Bajtek, who until his retirement had worked as a miner in Darkov mine. “Until 2010/2011 season we entered the lowest level competition as new comers, so the current good ranking clearly illustrate the hard work the girls put in,“ stated Sylva Bajtková, FC IRP Český Těšín women's team coach.

Bajtková herself had played football for about twenty years. She used to be a goalkeeper and  even was nominated into the Czech national team and took part in the World Championship qualification matches against Iceland and Belorussia. Since the days I took up football, the women's football has made a major progress. We are no more perceived as an attraction,“ she noted.

For more information about the club sponsored by ČSM Mine see www.fcirpceskytesinzeny.webnode.cz.

Radek Lukša