2024 - Fußball trifft Kultur – LitCam gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mbH

The “Fußball trifft Kultur” EM24 Challenge

Die "Fußball trifft Kultur" EM24 Challenge

The European Men’s Football Championship will take place in Germany in 2024! This is an opportunity for us to give our FtK program groups a special challenge to increase their anticipation of the European Championship at home and at the same time give the children new knowledge and interests.

The task:

Each location is assigned a participating country in the European Championship. Each FtK team deals with the national team of the European Championship participating country drawn by lot. This may include the following questions: Who is in the squad of the current national team? Which national players also play in the national league? How many times has the team won the European Championship or World Cup? How long has the national team of the respective country been in existence, etc.?

The task is then to present the results of the research. The form of presentation is freely selectable. This can be in the form of a collage, a poster, a photo or a video clip (max. 3 minutes). There are no limits to creativity.

A jury then evaluates the posts and chooses a winner.

The winners:

The winners were honored during the final tournament. The group from Hamburg’s Schule an der Glinder Au was the clear jury favorite and received the trophy. The Hamburgers had produced an elaborate video in which they not only portrayed and presented the team in Poland, but also the country itself. In doing so, the children demonstrated real presenter skills, as they stood in front of the camera with such confidence and aplomb.

Fußball trifft Kultur – Sustainability in the clubs

Implementation of the key topic of sustainability in the programs

From January 2023, our program groups focused on the topic of “sustainability”. The children learned how the respective partner club deals with the topic of sustainability. The groups carried out further excursions and activities together with the program teachers and program trainers. These included visits to the stadium on the topic of sustainability, trips to the museum for interactive exhibitions and various workshops.

Graduation & presentation in May

They recorded the results that the children collected on posters specially designed for the campaign and proudly presented them at the end. In some cases, they were also given the opportunity to present their ideas and suggestions to the respective clubs.

The FtK-ClubChallenge in full swing – News from our schools

Die FtK-ClubChallenge in vollem Gange - Aktuelles aus unseren Schulen

The FtK Club Challenge has been the main focus in schools in recent weeks. From T-shirt design and museum visits to children’s press conferences, the children have been involved with “their” professional football club in a variety of ways. We have collected the great impressions in this article (to be updated soon). We would like to take this opportunity to thank all participating FtK groups once again for their great commitment.

Augsburg

As part of the FtK Club Challenge, the 24 children from Bärenkeller primary and secondary school came up with questions to ask a professional footballer from their club, FC Augsburg, via video message. Due to the pandemic, midfielder Tim Civeja sent greetings to the FtK kids via video and encouraged them to learn. The boys and girls from the fifth grade also designed their diaries and presented their first works of art.

Berlin

Two highlights awaited the children of the Zurich School in Berlin-Köpenick: not only did they get to visit the venerable stadium at the Alte Försterei, but they also had the special pleasure of taking part in a children’s press conference with Union “soccer god” Grischa Prömel. Click here for the full website report.

Bochum

For the boys and girls from “Fußball trifft Kultur” at the Werner von Siemens School, the dream of getting to know a real professional footballer – our project sponsor Christopher Antwi-Adjei – came true. Christopher answered the children’s curious questions at a children’s press conference. Click here for the full website report.

Brunswick

Our Braunschweig program group takes an in-depth look at its partner club as part of the FtK Club Challenge. To start with, they received a surprise package from Eintracht Braunschweig. The FtK participants are already motivated for the rest of the program.

Düsseldorf

A special highlight awaited our Düsseldorf program group on the occasion of our FtK Club Challenge. Together with our partner club Fortuna Düsseldorf, the FtK participants visited the Paul Janes Stadium. The FtK participants learned a lot of interesting facts about the history of their favorite club at Fortuna’s long-standing venue. We are excited to see how the experiences will be presented as part of the FtK Club Challenge.

Duisburg

The FtK participants from our program school in Duisburg show a few impressions of their program training and lessons. Our new Duisburg project mentor Alaa Bakir also answered the children’s questions at a children’s press conference.

(Website article, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu2pXGUmLVU).

Bottom row of pictures: © MSV Duisburg / Nico Herbertz

Frankfurt

On 9 March 2022, the FtK participants from the Karmeliterschule and the Albert-Schweitzer-Schule waited eagerly in the Eintracht Museum for the program sponsor Muhammed Damar. The Eintracht professional took plenty of time to answer the children’s questions, signed autographs and posed for photos.

Fürth

The program group from Fürth showed their first impressions of the design of their T-shirts. Great motifs were already visible.

Gelsenkirchen

As part of the FtK-ClubChallenge 2022, the primary school pupils of the Friedrich-Grillo-Schule explored the crown jewel of Gelsenkirchen – the VELTINS Arena – on 17.03.2022. Click here for the full website report.

Hamburg

The FtK participants received a great surprise from our partner club. FC St. Pauli provided our FtK participants with new jerseys as part of the FtK Club Challenge. There was also an exciting stadium tour at Millterntor followed by a children’s press conference with Pauli legend and new FtK sponsor Jan-Philipp Kalla. Click here for the full website report.

Regensburg

On the occasion of our FtK Club Challenge, a special highlight awaited our Regensburg program group: the design of their T-shirts! We are already looking forward to seeing the creative ideas of the FtK participants.

Würzburg

As part of the FtK Club Challenge, our partner club Würzburger Kickers provided surprise packages with merchandise from the club. The FtK participants were very grateful. They also showed the first glimpses of the jerseys they had designed themselves. Some great designs were already visible.

FtK Stuttgart – A look back at an eventful school year 2021/22

FtK Stuttgart – Ein Rückblick auf ein ereignisreiches Schuljahr 2021/22

The FtK year 2021/22 was eventful, intense and full of fun for the children supported in Stuttgart. From a contemplative Christmas party to a wide range of cultural activities and the final cross-FtK tournament in June – there was plenty on offer.

After a very complicated time for the children and everyone involved, which was mainly characterized by the pandemic-related restrictions, the FtK school year 2021/22 was able to start again with many support offers. The program included team-building measures, a Christmas party, cultural and sporting activities, the FtK Club Challenge and, of course, the big final tournament in Frankfurt in June 2022. Below we have collected a few impressions of selected highlights from the season:

KuBUS and visit to the art museum

The 3rd graders at Lerchenrain School were able to go on a two-part excursion in their first FtK year. On 05.04.2022, the Kubus (short for art bus) came to the school. The kids were allowed to give free rein to their creativity in the “Pure Chance” workshop. The children had great fun tracing different patterns and reassembling small pieces of paper. The kids loved the station with colors, balloons and balls and created beautiful works of art. When it came to drawing portraits, all you could hear was a general giggle. The following week, we went on a guided tour of the Stuttgart Art Museum. Despite initial complaints, the mood in the art museum improved considerably. And the works of art were viewed with varying degrees of interest. One child even had a little drawing book with her to sketch all the artworks for her friends. This meant that the excursion could still be recounted in pictures the next day. And on the way home, there were still lively discussions about the art.

Climbing in Cityrock

On 04.05.2022, the FtK kids from Eichendorff School put on their sports gear, packed their drinks and headed off to climb at Cityrock. A little late, but still highly motivated, the excursion could be started. Once we arrived at Cityrock, we started straight away. To warm up, everyone was allowed to climb along the lower end of the climbing wall. This allowed the kids to get a feel for what was to come. This was immediately followed by a team-building task in which the kids had to imagine transporting materials over a large mountain range. Of course, everyone mastered the task brilliantly and almost all of the climbing equipment was transported over the mountain in the end.

The FtK final tournament

Even on the day before the tournament, the kids’ anticipation was palpable and they were already talking about the cool time ahead on the bus. On the day of the tournament, the Stuttgart FtK group set up in their pavilion and the spectacle could begin. After a slight delay, the first game started at 09:30. The kids were highly motivated, the coach highly concentrated and the rest were simply in a good mood and excited. The Stuttgart kids had a total of five games to play. The other teams in the group were strong, but the group still put up a good fight and managed to win one game after a number of scoring chances. Unfortunately, they had to concede defeat to their opponents in two games, while two other games ended in a well-deserved draw.

After every game, the Stuttgart kids clapped their opponents off with a smile on their faces and thanked them for a great game. The children survived the tournament without any major injuries or heatstroke. The tournament matches themselves were not the only highlights – towards the afternoon, the ambassador of “Fußball trifft Kultur” Ridle Baku dropped by. Ridle is a professional player for VfL Wolfsburg and a German international, making him a magnet for the kids. The Stuttgart kids spotted him first and got his autograph straight away. The picture that was taken later even ended up on social media and his 132,000 followers caught a glimpse of the enthusiastic Stuttgart kids.

After two very exhausting, but exciting and enjoyable days, the children slowly had to say goodbye. They will certainly remember the great time they had. It was a very relaxed atmosphere, many experiences were made as a large team and the children had a unique time. To sum up, the tournament was a special highlight of the “Fußball trifft Kultur” year.

Bochum stadium tour – in the spirit of sustainability

Bochumer Stadionführung - Im Zeichen der Nachhaltigkeit

VfL Bochum 1848 has been running the integrative educational program “Fußball trifft Kultur” with the non-profit organization LitCam since the 2015/16 season. As part of the program, VfL has now been able to accompany pupils from the Werner-von-Siemens School in Bochum on a stadium tour focusing on sustainability aspects at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion.

As part of the guided tour of the Vonovia Ruhrstadion, the pupils of the Werner-von-Siemens-Schule were able to gain exciting insights into the history and development of VfL as well as some insights into the club’s sustainability efforts. For example, they learned what the biggest drivers of VfL’s_{CO2 footprint} are and how VfL is trying to minimize them.

After all, a home match day at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion is always associated with a wide variety of environmental impacts. Fans and teams travel to and from the stadium. There are many different snacks and drinks to buy in the stadium. The stadium turf has to be watered. The floodlights shine brightly on Castroper Straße. All of this has an impact on the environment. By introducing a holistic sustainability strategy, VfL aims to systematically record and minimize its negative impact on the environment.

One focus of this programme year is to make children more aware of ecological awareness and sustainable action at “Fußball trifft Kultur”. The fact that soccer clubs such as VfL Bochum communicate their business activities in a tangible way helps us to increase children’s interest in this area.

Sustainability in our club – A guest at BVB

Nachhaltigkeit in unserem Club – Zu Gast beim BVB

In keeping with the motto “Sustainability in our club”, the FtK kids from Dortmund visited the big BVB club as part of a stadium tour.

The children from the Anne Frank School in Dortmund explored many questions, focusing in particular on energy-saving measures and possible emission factors. How is waste actually disposed of? What is done with the leftover food? How much electricity is consumed on a match day? And what happens to the used jerseys?

In addition, the children were quite surprised at how much_CO2 is consumed on a normal Bundesliga Saturday and what comprehensive sustainability management is needed behind the performance of such a large Bundesliga club in order to keep the_{CO2 footprint}as low as possible.

As a thank you for their active participation and interest, the children were given a BVB jersey set, which they can proudly wear at the big FtK final tournament in Duisburg next month. Last but not least, BVB’s Emma the Bee even dropped in on the group, which naturally aroused great enthusiasm among the children.

Images: LitCam

Final tournament of “Fußball trifft Kultur” with over 600 children from 23 cities

Darmstadt, 10.06.2024 – Team spirit, fun and fair play – that was the motto of the “Fußball trifft Kultur” (FtK) final tournament 2024. Around 600 participants in the integrative educational program “Fußball trifft Kultur” travelled to Darmstadt from all over Germany to compete for the coveted trophies in the U10 and U14 age groups.

The 14th FtK final tournament was more than just a sporting showdown. The event is the annual highlight of the educational program, which offers the more than 700 participants not only soccer training but also skills training, in particular language development. Training and learning takes place twice a week in two halves at 23 locations across Germany. The special feature: The program takes place in cooperation with professional clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. They provide a coach for the weekly program and promote the motivation of the participating children through their charisma and unique events such as children’s press conferences, stadium tours or match visits. In this way, “Fußball trifft Kultur” reaches children from educationally disadvantaged social backgrounds in particular, who often feel less addressed by regular school lessons and therefore benefit particularly from the additional support of language, exercise and culture. Florian Holzbrecher, Head of Events & CSR at the host of the final tournament SV Darmstadt 98, describes how “Fußball trifft Kultur” supports the children in the respective locations as follows: “We provide a coach for the weekly program and promote the motivation of the participating children through the charisma of the club and unique events such as children’s press conferences, stadium tours or match visits. It’s great to see how the kids, led by our coach Nils Buhr and teacher Ben Schneider, not only learn in terms of content, but also grow together as a real team and act like one.”

The final tournament in Darmstadt is also representative of the integrative nature of the educational program. United by the motivating power of soccer, children from a wide range of countries came together for a big soccer festival in which they were able to represent the colors of their respective partner clubs. The participants not only demonstrated the progress they have made in soccer over the past year, but also experienced solidarity, fair play and teamwork at first hand. The groups from the Grundschule an der Glinder Au (U10) and Herbert-Grillo-Gesamtschule (U14) were particularly pleased to win on behalf of FC St. Pauli and MSV Duisburg and raise the coveted challenge cup to the sky in Darmstadt. The groups from Braunschweig (Diesterwegstraße elementary school) and Mainz (IGS Mainz Bretzenheim) were given a special honor when they were awarded the Fair Play Cup for their exemplary behavior.

In addition, a special award was on the program in the year of the European Football Championship in Germany: As part of the FtK-EuropeChallenge, the children spent the past six months exploring different European countries and their cultures.
The results were evaluated by a jury consisting of Matthias Bader (professional footballer at SV Darmstadt 98 and FtK program sponsor), Franziska Fey (Chairwoman of the DFL Foundation), Jonas Kozinowski (author of “Was ist Was – Fußball”), Karin Plötz (Director of LitCam) and Anton Schumacher (Head of Education at Eintracht Frankfurt’s youth development center) and were awarded prizes at the final tournament.
The winners from the Grundschule an der Glinder Au were delighted.

The various exercise stations also provided variety, where children and visitors were able to put their soccer skills to the test at a goal wall and a shot measuring system, among other things, and grow together as a team in various group games.
Dr Nadine Seddig, Head of Programs and Funding Management, who has been supporting FtK with the DFL Foundation as a nationwide partner since 2012, emphasized the central role of the tournament in the success of the project: “The final tournament is the absolute highlight of the FtK program every year. The great anticipation of the participating children is palpable for everyone and the atmosphere on site is characterized by great togetherness. It’s always great to see how everyone comes together to play soccer, have fun and achieve a goal as a team. That makes the tournament a great success again this year!”

Karin Plötz, Director of LitCam gGmbH, which has been implementing the integrative education program since 2007, also drew a positive conclusion: “This year’s final tournament was once again the absolute highlight of the “Fußball trifft Kultur” program year. The children love showing what they can do by playing soccer. And they experience how important team spirit, fairness and respect are. They are proud to be part of such a big tournament. It’s an unforgettable experience for all the kids.”

The final placings:

U10

1st place: Grundschule an der Glinder Au, Hamburg

2nd place: GGS Flurstraße, Düsseldorf

3rd place: Fasanenhofschule, Stuttgart

4th place: GGS Lustheider Straße, Cologne

U14

1st place: Herbert-Grillo-Schule II, Duisburg

2nd place: Anne-Frank-Schule I, Dortmund

3rd place: IGS Bretzenheim, Mainz

4th place: Bärenkeller II secondary school, Augsburg