Marcel Grote can look back on an impressive career in amateur soccer in the Ruhr region. He is now German skittles champion.
Marcel Grote has already played for numerous amateur soccer clubs in the Ruhr region during his career. The 42-year-old has played over 170 games in the Oberliga Niederrhein, almost 30 games in the Regionalliga West, and even two games in the DFB Cup. But what is the former player for Velbert, Speldorf, Wuppertal, and Schonnebeck doing today?
Now that his active soccer career is over, Grote has devoted himself entirely to his second great passion: bowling. “I am very committed to bowling and am currently the first chairman of SK Heiligenhaus. We are two-time German champions, one-time World Cup winners, and are once again at the top of the table this season,” reports Grote.
Despite his successful bowling career, Grote’s heart still beats for soccer. Most recently, he was between the posts for the SuS Haarzopf second team. That will remain the case: “My player pass is still with SuS Haarzopf and that’s where it will stay. From next year, however, I will be playing for the old boys.”
However, bowling is by no means new to Grote’s life. His parents were among the co-founders of the Heiligenhaus bowling club, so he was familiar with the sport and the weekly game days from an early age.
The bowling game days were on Saturdays, the soccer games on Sundays. My weekends were always completely planned out, but it made me happy.
Marcel Grote
Even during his active goalkeeping career, he played bowling at a high level: “The bowling days were on Saturdays, the soccer games on Sundays. My weekends were always completely booked up, but it made me happy.“
Grote explains how much commitment and professionalism bowling requires: ”The longest distance we have to travel in the Bundesliga is to Saarland. You drive for several hours, bowl for many hours, and then drive back again. The whole Saturday is taken up with it.”
But he is happy to make the effort: “We have an outstanding team, which makes it incredibly fun. The time with the team is something very special.”
However, the trips are by no means comparable to typical district league bowling trips: “There are referees who make sure that no alcohol is consumed. On the way there, we are focused and tense. The return trips after victories are all the more fun.”
A special highlight in Grote’s bowling career is now coming up. He is part of the German national team. At the beginning of 2026, he will have the chance to secure one of the eight World Cup squad places at a training camp.