At the end of October, 11 stipendiaries from South Korea spent a week at the Porsche partner club VfB Stuttgart immersing themselves in German football culture. Alongside the training sessions, they also learnt about the city of Stuttgart whilst on sightseeing tour and experienced the fascination of sports cars from close up in the Porsche Museum.
Since last year the ‘Turbo for Dreams – Football’ initiative has been a part of the ‘Porsche Do Dream’ CSR campaign in which Porsche Korea supports social projects in art and sport giving young talents from families on a low income the chance to develop their skills through systematic training and international experience. The children should as a result gain self-confidence and come closer to their dreams. Girls also took part in the programme this year for the first time.
The role model for the Porsche Korea initiative is Porsche AG’s long-time social commitment as a part of the ‘Porsche Turbo for Talents Youth Development’ programme. It concerns itself with not only supporting a high-quality sporting education but also the social and personal development of children and adolescents.
‘Turbo for Dreams – Football’ is supported by the International Sports Exchange Association (ISEA). The programme enables young football talents in South Korea to take part in an international training programme in Germany and is jointly organised by Porsche Korea and the Porsche partner club VfB Stuttgart.
Under the guidance of VfB Stuttgart coaches, the children absolved an intensive training programme in which European football served as a role model. They duly found out about VfB’s youth development philosophy. Alongside the technique coaching, the focus above all was on the chance to get to know one another and to communicate on an international scale. The week was full of highlights. There was a friendly against VfB’s U-12s, a visit to the U-17 match between VfB Stuttgart and Freiburg as well as a watch party for VfB’s Europa League match against Fenerbahce Istanbul.
Even a guided tour of the MHP Arena and the attendance at the Bundesliga game between VfB Stuttgart and 1. FSV Mainz 05 was arranged for the group.
The VfB coaches had previously travelled to Korea in September where they organised a youth football camp for about 180 fifth and sixth year schoolboys and girls. From all the participants, they selected the 11 stipendiaries that had caught the eye during the training with their excellent skills and performances as well as commitment and passion. They were invited to pay a return visit to Germany.
“It was a fantastic experience for both sides. Foreign experiences like these broaden horizons and forms one’s character. We’re eager to find out what the training programme will mean for the young players,” says Micha Gühring, manager of the VfB Football Academy.
Comments on ‘Turbo for Dreams – Football’
Scholarship student Min-yul An: “It was a really special experience to train and play together with the VfB Stuttgart players. Thanks to the ‘Turbo for Dreams – Football’ program, I feel one step closer to my dream. I’m very thankful to Porsche Korea for giving us this amazing opportunity, and I’ll keep working hard toward my goal.”
Scholarship student Do-yun Kim: For me, participating in the ‘Turbo for Dreams – Football’ camp was already an incredible experience, but being selected as a scholarship student and coming to Germany was truly an honor. Training with the VfB Stuttgart coaches taught me not only football skills but also the value of teamwork and responsibility. This experience made me even more determined to work hard and become a better football player.”
VfB Football Academy coach Björn Peter: “I was truly impressed by how they overcame various barriers — especially cultural and language differences. As a coach, it was wonderful to see how they managed to communicate using their hands and their feet. It was very inspiring to watch, and we were also quite impressed by the passion and perseverance the kids showed in getting one step closer to their dream.”
“Turbo for Talents” – the Porsche Youth Development Programme
Porsche takes its societal responsibility seriously and invests specifically in the future of young people via the Porsche Youth Development Programme. Under the motto “Turbo for Talents”, Porsche commits itself to helping youngsters in a variety of sports in several clubs. In football, there are partnerships with Stuttgarter Kickers, the Red Bull Football Academy, Borussia Mönchengladbach, VfB Stuttgart and Erzgebirge Aue. In the sport of ice-hockey, Porsche helps foster juniors at the Bietigheim Steelers club. In basketball, Porsche lends its name to the Ludwigsburg Porsche Basketball Academy (BBA) – the elite training centre for the MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg club. The commitment is not just about supporting high-quality sports coaching but also about the social and personal development of young people. Through its “Talents Hand in Hand” initiative, Porsche, together with its partner clubs and social institutions, also conveys values like tolerance, passion and respect to young people. It also promotes the embracing of topics like inclusion, environmental awareness and health. The famous patron of the Development Programme is the football World Cup winner Sami Khedira. Information about the highly diverse Youth Development Programme can be found at www.turbofürtalente.de.
