Santa Susanna, Spain — The DFB and KOMM MIT's 2024 soccer hero education trip has been given. Around 230 young youth soccer coaches, directors and referees from all over Germany are honored for their volunteer work. As a sign of recognition and at the same time to motivate them to remain committed in the future, the young volunteers are taking part in a five-day training course in Spain.

At the start of the educational trip, DFB Vice President Ronny Zimmermann once again underlined the importance of volunteer work: “Club soccer in its current form would be unthinkable without the volunteer work of young people. It is a matter close to our hearts to promote and further expand this commitment.” Markus Stenger, the new DFB Director of Amateur Football and Football Development, was also there to thank the volunteers at the soccer base.

Dominik Wrasmann, spokesperson for sports communications at Volkswagen AG, explained the importance of volunteering for VW. “Amateur soccer embodies values such as team spirit, performance, passion and fairness. That's why we're there: As a brand for everyone, Volkswagen supports sport at the top as well as across the board. Seeing so many motivated and committed talent here encourages us to do the right thing with the support of amateur soccer. ”

Hannes Wolf, DFB Director for Young Talent, Training and Development and head coach of the U20 national team, emphasized the central role of volunteer work for German soccer and will introduce the young people involved to the philosophy of new forms of playing in children and youth soccer over the coming days — an unforgettable experience for the participants.

The program includes practical theory and training units that enable volunteers to expand their knowledge and take new ideas with them to their home associations. Another highlight of the week is the day trip to Barcelona.

A team of speakers from the national soccer associations offers volunteers sophisticated theoretical and practical units to deepen their soccer knowledge and bring new insights to their clubs. Bundesliga referee Frank Willenborg is also on site to give soccer heroes insights into everyday life in the Bundesliga.

DKMS is once again part of the soccer hero education trip this year and, with its “DKMS soccer heroes” project, is raising awareness of the need for stem cell donations and the importance of registration.

Philipp Reinartz, managing director of KOMM MIT, added: “Club life at the grassroots level must also be secured for future generations. With our support, as a cooperation partner of the DFB, we would like to do our part to ensure that young volunteers receive thanks for their commitment at an early stage and remain motivated to volunteer. ”

Through their voluntary work in children's and youth soccer, the soccer heroes are a mainstay of their clubs and form the basis of German amateur soccer. The “Young Volunteering” campaign supports young, committed youth soccer coaches and leaders as well as referees to recognize their work and give them the opportunity to continue their education.