1. FSV MAINZ 05 ACTIVATES ITS FOOTBALL SCHOOL IN PORT HARCOURT

1. FSV MAINZ 05 ACTIVATES ITS FOOTBALL SCHOOL IN PORT HARCOURT

With the support of Schächter Sports Mainz 05 is internationalizing its sub-branch "05’er Fußballschule"

In 2019 Bundesliga club 1. FSV Mainz 05 and Schächter Sports signed a cooperation to internationalize the "05'er Fußballschule", the club's football school branch into different territories.

One of the first markets to activate the branch in was Nigeria. "Nigeria is the third largest country in the world, after China and India, when it comes to youth population. Almost 50% of the population is under the age of 18. Youth football will always play an important role in our strategy", stated Christof Babatz, Head of Football School.

In April 2019 the "05'er Fußballschule" had its first appearance on the market by coaching more than 100 kids in Lagos, the fast-growing metropolis.
To amplify this first Schächter Sports and its local partner Vandyke FC visited Port Harcourt for a two-week camp in August 2019. This camp gave a first impression of what the long- term strategy in the market could look like.

Besides high-quality coaching by German licensed coaches from 1. FSV Mainz 05 and training for some local coaches as well the camp also gave Mainz 05 the chance to establish first long-term relationships in the market.
Representatives from media such as local TV and radio stations as well as national newspaper like The Sun and The Guardian visited to camp and also officials from sports-politics came to see the German club in Nigeria.

Speaking at one of the training sessions, chairman, Rivers State Football Association, Chris Green, described the Mainz 05 camp as one of its kind in recent times in Nigeria. "The camp is a great opportunity for youth players to develop under a very professional structure and we are very happy to work with Mainz 05 and Vandyke FC as they roll out this exciting project in the state. This is a huge platform for players’ development in Nigeria", said the former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) technical committee chairman.

How huge this platform can become showed a spontaneous activation at the National Stadium in Lagos. On the day of their departure the coaches were invited to coach more than 80 kids on one of the pitches at the National Stadium.

To also combine the grassroots activities with brand building a viewing party to see Mainz 05 playing the German champion Bayern München was organized in cooperation with Bundesliga broadcaster StarTimes. The accompanying programme consisted of a "German Football Vocabulary Lesson", several football activities and some more detailed education on the club. It was great fun for all participants.