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
