Dirk Schachtsiek

Dirk Schachtsiek (November 4, 1965) is a German Fistball player, who is recognized at "Europe's player of the century".

Biography

During the late 1980s and the early 1990s, Dirk Schachtsiek has been the most renowned Fistball player in the world. As a hitter, he used to be the most responsible person in his team. As a representative of Germany's national team, Schachtsiek won four world championship titles (1986, 1990, 1992 and 1995). Furthermore, he has been a European Champion in 1988 and 1994. At the World Games, in which non-Olympic sports are represented, Schachtsiek won the gold medal in 1989 in 1993.

Playing for TSV Hagen 1860, a team located in the federal state of Northrhine-Westfalia, Schachtsiek achieved no less than 17 national titles (ten outdoors and seven indoors). In 1986, Schachtsiek was a German champion for the first time. The last time he ended-up in first place was in 2001. Schachtsiek and the Hagen site were also world cup winners. They managed to achieve twelve consecutive titles on the European club level (indoors). Furthermore, Schachtsiek led Hagen to seven outdoor-titles.

Schachtsiek lives with his wife Andrea and their two sons in Schachtsiek's home town Hagen. Dirk Schachtsiek's father-in-law, Manfred Lux, is the mastermind of Fistball, editing the "Faustball Informationen". Schachtsiek still plays on senior's level. He is one of the four vice-presidents of the German Fistball League (Deutsche Faustball-Liga-DFBL). Unofficially, he is the manager of Germany's national team which allows a comparison to Oliver Bierhoff in Football. Amongst Fistballers, Schachtsiek is highly appreciated, although it is said that most of the hitters behave quite arrogantly.