Football Meets Culture – a strong team
Kicking and learning belong together! BVB and Thyssengas support the LitCam sponsorship project at the Anne-Frank-Gesamtschule
The ball is rolling for the kids at the Anne-Frank-Gesamtschule in Dortmund: The Dortmund long-distance network operator Thyssengas and the football club Borussia Dortmund are showing how children can be motivated to learn: They are both supporting the LitCam project 'Football Meets Culture' and thereby sponsoring around two dozen children. The students improve their German skills and social conduct with each other while playing and are prepared for the transition to a more advanced school. This involves the promotion of integration.
Enthusiasm for football is intended to provide motivation for learning
The 24 girls and boys of the Anne-Frank-Gesamtschule take part in a special targeted remedial education course twice a week and form two football teams trained and supervised by BVB youth trainer Christian Diercks. The football sponsor of the project is the Dortmund U16 forward and junior international player Gabriel Kyeremateng. Other project partners include the Initiativkreis Ruhr at the regional level as well as the DFL Foundation and Samsung at the national level.
Rules not only for football
The rules for the kids are the same as those which apply for the pros of the BVB:
• "Together we are a team"
• "We play fairly and with full commitment"
• "We have fun together and do not laugh at others"
"Social issues are communicated and the remedial education is thereby optimally supplemented even during the training",
explains trainer Christian Diercks. Thyssengas assumes regional responsibility
"With the support of 'Football Meets Culture', Thyssengas wishes to illustrate its responsibility for the region and its inhabitants, which includes our special attention to children from Northern Dortmund. The project makes an important contribution to the Ruhr region and Dortmund. That is also very important to us personally and Thyssengas is very happy to be involved", state Thyssengas Managing Directors Dr Axel Botzenhardt and Bernd Dahmen, explaining the company's commitment to the educational project.
First successes on the field and in the classroom
The kids were already to celebrate their first success at the start of June 2015. As newcomers at the 7th "Football Meets Culture" tournament in Schalke, one of the two starting teams reached third place. 400 kids from throughout Germany took part in the tournament. Kids' teams trained by members of the German federal league, the Bundesliga, faced off in Schalke almost like a mini Bundesliga. The children of the Anne-Frank-Gesamtschule were extremely motivated and confidently gave their best for the team on the field. Dr Thomas Maring, coordinator of the Anne-Frank-Gesamtschule day school, stated, "We have also seen our first successes in the classroom. The children taking part are more focused and are calmer and not aggressive when interacting with each other."
We are the champions - football kids win the trophy
The TG/BVB football kids were able to win the football tournament held in Dortmund on Friday, 16 June 2017.
28 teams from throughout Germany faced off for this tournament at the BVB. Following the end of the preliminary round with a score of 5:1 goals, our football kids could no longer be stopped by anything or anyone. They started their march to the final with excellent preparation from BVB youth trainer Christian Diercks. HSV was waiting there.
The players of the traditional association of Hamburg were unable to keep pace with our football kids and were put in their place with a final score of 2:0.
The victory celebration was held on a giant stage in the stately Rote Erde stadium as part of the Ruhr Games in front of their present family members and numerous attending BVB fans and was a true highlight for our football kids.
"I believe they
are about to
burst with pride"
said the deputy headmaster of the Anne-Frank-Gesamtschule, Rüdiger Ross, who was also full of pride as he carried the trophy into the school.
Thyssengas is naturally very pleased about the success of our team in the sport. It is not about maximum athletic performance to us, though. We wish to contribute to the integration of the children. The results strengthen us. The children develop very well. In order to guarantee the sustainability of the project, the children are further supported in internal school projects starting from class 8.
Children in class 6 will be added to the project so that the most children possible have the opportunity to obtain further development.
