Duisburg-Wedau. From 15 to 19 September, the fifth football heroes’ educational trip of the German Football Association and KOMM MIT took place at the Wedau Sports School. More than 100 young youth football coaches and leaders who had received awards in the course of the voluntary service project “Football Heroes – Action for Young Volunteers” accepted the invitation of the DFB and the non-profit organisation KOMM MIT to Duisburg to receive further training in theoretical and, above all, practical units. Participants from the Austrian Football Association were also present.
Shortly after arriving at the Sportschule Wedau, the official photo shoot for the 21 national football associations and the ÖFB took place on Wednesday afternoon. In the evening, the participants were welcomed by Peter Frymuth (DFB Vice-President and President of the Lower Rhine Football Association) and Hermann Gerland (former co-trainer at Bayern Munich, among others), who got them in the mood for the coming days. Philipp Reinartz, Managing Director of KOMM MIT gGmbH, emphasised the importance of the football heroes and their voluntary commitment: “Volunteering in children’s and youth football often also solves social challenges. It is therefore all the more important that the people who are active as volunteers in clubs are appreciated and this is exactly where the Aktion – junges Ehrenamt comes in.”
Impressions of the Football Heroes Educational Trip 2021 at the Sportschule Wedau
On Thursday morning, Daniel Niedzkowski (head of the football teacher training course) got the football heroes in the mood for the theoretical and practical learning content in the coming days. After the first theory and practical units on Thursday and Friday morning, which were led in eight groups by 17 instructors from the various national football associations, the focus for the football heroes on Friday afternoon was on German football history with a visit to the German Football Museum in Dortmund. On Saturday morning, all the youth football coaches and leaders were active on the pitches in various tournament variations. In the afternoon, everyone went to the “Castello” in Düsseldorf to support the German national futsal team and national coach Marcel Loosveld in their international match against Wales (final score 3:2). Marcel Loosveld has accompanied the football heroes’ educational journey as a guest speaker for the futsal department since 2017 and teaches the football heroes the basics of the sport in a playful way.
On Sunday, the volunteers were bid farewell by Hannes Wolf (coach of the U19 national team), who spoke on the topic of “Intuitive Playing Competence” and gave the football heroes important tips for their football training at home at the end of an unforgettable week.
Although – or perhaps because – the week’s schedule was quite tight, many participants praised the all-round successful organisation by KOMM MIT and the DFB. Despite the ongoing Corona pandemic, the participants found optimal conditions for their theoretical and practical sessions as well as for personal networking with the other participants and the speakers in the sports and leisure facilities in and around the Sportschule Wedau. More than 100 football heroes will probably need a while to process the numerous highlights of the week.
Over 100 football heroes experienced an unforgettable week at the Sportschule Wedau
The event was subject to a strict hygiene concept adapted to the circumstances. All participants, staff and speakers were tested for the COVID-19 virus every 48 hours.
