How a German football club helps refugees feel at home – DW – 11/05/2024

With just a few hand gestures, Salim Mehdaoui shows what he wants from the children gathered in the gym of a primary school in Bonn. They gather in the middle of the room and form a circle. Some shift nervously, looking at the coach with wide eyes and waiting for their turn.

Salim holds a soccer ball under his arm and, saying the names of each child, begins training. “Children get used to our rituals. For example, to collective greetings and farewells,” the coach told DW. In addition to sports, it is also about the social cohesion of the participants, Salim emphasized.

The social environment of the club is important as the members come from a nearby refugee reception center.

“Such preparation is important for children because while they were running, many of them had the experience of the best winning. Often their behavior can be a little cruel,” Antje Nehily told DW.

“Here they are taught to be attentive again. Children can have good, playful social relationships again.”

Nehili is the volunteer coordinator for the refugee shelter and launched the “Football Connects” project together with Hertha Bonn in March 2022.

Language barrier becomes a problem

Finally things get going and the small gym is getting noisy. Bursts of laughter punctuate the goal celebrations – the excitement is as palpable as it is contagious.

“It fills me with joy,” Mehdaoui said. “You see that it benefits the kids and that really motivates me.”

When the project started two years ago, the current student had just finished an academic year doing volunteer social work in Hertha Bonn. Salim developed a set of guidelines as communication was a particularly challenging task for him and his colleagues.

“Of course it’s not easy because there are language barriers and there are new kids at every training session,” Jörg Michael, vice-president of Hertha Bonn, told DW. “The children come from different countries and often don’t speak the same language.”

According to Mikhail, this prevents coaches from reaching all children.

Mehdaoui took on the problem and developed solutions together with those in charge at the club. Communication—if not in English or French—is nonverbal, using small cards that Mehdaoui shows to the children.

This means a common language is not always necessary, Nehily said. “This way we can make friends with people who in other contexts might have antagonistic cultures because they play on the same team.”

The club uses football as a common language that, according to Michael, is understood throughout the world.

DFB: “An impressive example of dedication”

The card displays a “Five Minute Break” or a simple stop sign so children understand what is happening. And it works: the project is a resounding success and was recently awarded the German Football Association (DFB) award for inclusion and tolerance in football.

Under the leadership of DFB President Bernd Neuendorf, Hertha Bonn was selected from 134 applicants for the award. The association called it “an impressive example of dedication as this is not the way to attract future club members.” Children leave the refugee shelter in Bonn within a couple of days or weeks.

Clubs can help with integration

Although the stay is usually short, children benefit from weekly training. In addition to being a welcome break from everyday life in refugee housing, they learn important social skills and become familiar with German culture.

“Training sessions change children’s behavior. If they’ve already been to one, they’ll be able to help other kids,” Nehili said. “They support each other and share their knowledge.”

For Jörg Michael, the project demonstrates how important institutions such as football clubs can be for integration. “It should be the responsibility of clubs to be involved in the community,” he said. “That’s why we’ve developed guidelines and want to show how easy this kind of training can be.”

Just 60 minutes later, today’s activity comes to an end as the children spin around again and use their last remaining strength to shout “Football” – all in the same language and all with a beaming smile.

This article was translated from German