Thomas Häßler, Pierre Littbarski and Jerome Boateng are probably among the best-known players who have already played for the Berlin Drumbo Cup. Together with the three world champions, over 100,000 students have now taken part in Germany’s largest indoor school tournament.
After the Drumbo Cup was held for the first time in 1975, the 48th edition of the indoor tournament is now coming up. Elementary schools, high schools and community schools up to grade six from all over Berlin took part again this year. According to the Berlin Football Association, around 230 schools have registered for the current round.
After the break in 2021 caused by the pandemic, the Drumbo Cup took place again last year, but was still subject to strict hygiene requirements at the time, which is why no spectators were allowed, for example. For the upcoming final round on Wednesday, however, the BFV is again hoping for the fans of the schools present, who would have already supported their teams in large numbers in the previous rounds.
The fun is in the foreground
In this year’s final round, the four best girls’ and boys’ school teams from Berlin will meet. The winners will be played in the Schöneberg sports hall from 10 a.m. The eight teams had to fight their way through several preliminary rounds and were able to prevail against other school teams. In the girls’ competition, last year’s second-placed elementary school in Wuhlheide, the Athene elementary school, the Berlin International School and the Mary Poppins elementary school meet.
The number of participating players and teams is unmatched in other primary school football tournaments in Germany.
Janosch Frankespokesman for the Berlin Football Association
In the boys’ category, last year’s winners from the Schele School, the Immanuel-Kant-Gymnasium, the Schule am Sandsteinweg and the Wilhelm-Hauff-Grundschule made it through to the finals. There, all teams play in group mode against the three other schools. The two teams that can collect the most points per gender then meet in the final.
However, the students can already look forward to it, because according to the Berlin Football Association, all teams that have made it to the final round will receive a certificate, a trophy and training equipment from the BFV. Places one to three will also be awarded corresponding medals.
According to Janosch Franke, spokesman for the Berlin Football Association, the Drumbo Cup was created to give children as much joy as possible in movement. According to Franke, since the introduction in Berlin in 1975, the number of participating students and schools in primary school football tournaments has been “unmatched anywhere in Germany”.
The Drumbo Cup is even celebrating a premiere in its long tradition this year. For the first time, the games of the final round will be broadcast live on YouTube on the 11teamsports channel. In addition to the sporting goods manufacturer, the tournament is also supported by the Berlin Football Association, the Bundesliga clubs Hertha BSC and 1. FC Union Berlin and the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Families.
According to the BFV, the goal is to get “boys and girls of primary school age excited about the movement in general”. The association therefore only sees schoolchildren who discover that they enjoy football through the tournament and subsequently join a club as a “bonus”.
What is clear, however, is that having fun is deliberately the top priority at this year’s Drumbo Cup. But maybe one of the players will fulfill their dream of becoming a professional in the future. After all, Pierre Littbarski, Thomas Häßler and Jerome Boateng have already done it.
Source: Tagesspiegel
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
