German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen has launched a football development programme in South Africa, aimed at nurturing young players and local coaches.
The programme started off with a visit to the village of iSithumba [situated 45 minutes away from Durban] where Bremen coaches conducted training sessions for young players and a coaching training programme.
They also donated football kits and equipment to the kids to further support local football development.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with FARPost, Werder’s Head of Fan and Business Development Dominik Kupilas said the German outfit is aiming to run the programme for a period exceeding three months.
“We coached 45 kids and 15 coaches, it was an unbelievable community as you can see in that picture,” said Kupilas.
“We gave jerseys to the kids and this was a kickoff for our football development programme and we will run it for the next three to four or five months.”
WHY SA IS A TARGET MARKET FOR BUNDESLIGA
Kupilas stated that South Africa is considered a target market for the Bundesliga, given the country’s potential and talent.
“That’s one main reason [we came here, SA is a target market], everything we do in the international market, we do it as a representative of Bundesliga,” he explained.
“We look at what are the target markets of Bundesliga and then we look at where we can create the biggest impact to the community.”
Werder Bremen’s visit to SA coincided with a delegation from the City of Bremen, including Mayor Dr. Andreas Bovenschulte.
The City of Bremen and Durban have established a 25-year partnership, fostering collaboration in various areas, including sports.
Kupilas believes that the robust connection between Durban and Bremen made it a natural fit for Werder Bremen to also make an impact in the country.
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN DURBAN AND BREMEN
“There is a strong partnership between the cities [Durban and Bremen], so it makes a lot of sense because lots of relationships between the cities,” he explained.
“We are absolutely convinced that we can create an impact within the community here by developing young talented players to become better football players but with better personalities as well, same for coaches.
“We strongly believe it makes a lot of sense to exchange with local coaches and learn from each other.”
Sebastian Schächter, a business consultant accompanying Kupilas, recognised the significant potential present among both the coaches and players in the local area.
He emphasised the programme’s aim to enhance the community’s knowledge and skills, helping them elevate their game to the next level.
“The goal is to share the knowledge in kind of transferring details of the game to the community,” said Sebastian.
“You have, of course, lots of unbelievable good coaches but when it comes to the point if the player has qualities to become professional, [you need] very deep and small details in the game makes the difference and we want to share these details to the local communities to the local coaches and people who are interested in developing themselves.”
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