Playing football against school frustration

Many youngsters feel an increased passion for playing football in the wake of the World Cup. Students from the University of Hanover use the sportive ambition of problem pupils to train them and help them in graduating from school.

"Lernen im Stadion" (Learning in the stadium) is part of the Fußballprojekt Hannover: students from the Leibniz University Hanover tutor pupils from the vocational preparation year of a vocational school (BVJ) and play football with the youths.

"BVJ pupils are often regarded as underachievers", says Dirk Schröder, who teaches the seminar "Sport als Chance" (Sports as an opportunity) at the Leibniz University Hanover. The majority of pupils have a migration background; many were expelled from secondary modern school. Schröder explains that the industry regards them as not fit for vocational training. "Using the medium of football, the aim is to once more familiarise these pupils with a normal school day."

Most pupils like playing football, because the rules are simple. "The idea is to give the pupils a chance to let off steam, yet at the same time to teach them improved social skills, such as team play and punctuality", adds vocational school teacher Carsten Schierholz. The pupils quickly learn that playing football is no fun, if half of them are late.

But it is not just playing together. The problem pupils moreover get to supervise a football court for children during home matches of German Bundesliga club Hannover 96. There, they receive direct and spontaneous appreciation, says Dirk Schröder. "Learning in the stadium" is the third pillar of the project: VIP atmosphere at the stadium instead of classroom. "The pupils realise that it is something special to learn at Hannover 96. For many, this is the first time in their life that somebody cares about them", says Schröder. All this helps to improve the youths' school performance. More than half of the participants find an apprenticeship placement subsequent to the project. This would not be the case without this service.

Because motivating youths in Germany by way of playing football has proven so successful, the project initiators now have expanded the project scope. They bring together grammar school pupils and pupils from the vocational school's so-called language learning class, many of whom are refugees. Together, the pupils work on an exhibition about the Christmas Truce 1914, when frontline troops from both sides laid down their arms at Christmas and played football instead. In preparing the exhibition, the eleventh graders asked the vocational school pupils about their experiences with war, for many of the youths are refugees from Syria, amongst other countries.