The preliminary group matches at the fifth Porsche Football Cup have been drawn. In an eagerly awaited derby, the junior teams belonging to the local VfB Stuttgart and Stuttgarter Kickers clubs will open the tournament at VfB Stuttgart’s training grounds on Saturday at 10 am. Title-holders Barcelona will start their campaign simultaneously. Their opponent is last year’s runner-up Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The official welcome in the Porsche Museum was undertaken by Dr. Sebastian Rudolph. In a talk with Sami Khedira and the VfB legend Timo Hildebrand, the former players gave some exciting insights into life as a professional footballer. “We’re looking forward to watching some great football and to cheering you all on,” said Khedira. He gave the young footballers something to think about along their journeys saying, “A different kind of football is played in the north than in the south. Use the tournament therefore to get into contact with others.”
The highlight of the evening was the subsequent drawing of the groups which the players followed with huge interest. Alternating, Rudolph and Khedira pulled the teams and group allocation “out of the hat”. “A team is yet to successfully defend the title,” said Dr. Sebastian Rudolph. “And a Stuttgart derby right at the start promises just as much tension as the pros.”
The young players had the chance to get into contact with each other when enjoying the evening meal. A private tour around the museum then rounded off the evening.
What’s next
The tournament’s Group A consists of the two local VfB Stuttgart and Stuttgarter Kickers teams plus title-holders Barcelona and last year’s beaten finalists Borussia Mönchengladbach. Group B will see Red Bull Football Academy Salzburg, VfL Wolfsburg, Erzgebirge Aue and Bayern Munich take each other on for a place in the semifinals.
The first and second placed teams in each group will meet in the semifinals on Sunday morning (7 September). Group results will also determine who plays who in the play-offs for the lower placings. The highlight is the final plus victory ceremony in the Robert Schlienz Stadium. Kick-off is at 1.45 pm. Awaiting fans off the pitch are refreshment stalls and any number of activities they can try their hands at. Visitors – admission is free of charge – can display their own footballing skills and compete against each other on the goal target wall and at table football. Porsche partner clubs will also invite people to have a go at other sports. The Porsche Basketball Academy – the elite academy at the local MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg club – will present a variety of basketball activities. The Bietigheim-Bissingen Steelers will organise an ice-hockey shooting practice session. VfB Stuttgart’s mascot Fritzle will also be cheering on the junior teams over the weekend and will be available for fans to have their photos taken with him.
CSR initiative – teams playing for a good cause
The “Talents Hand in Hand” CSR initiative marked the start of the tournament week. The participating teams absolved a practice session together with the charitable so-called “Bunt kickt gut” initiative, with football World Cup winner Sami Khedira already watching from the sidelines. Its aim is to bring together children, youths and adults belonging to differing cultural and social heritages via an intercultural street football league. A guided tour to the Porsche Museum gave the 25 children from the initiave a better understanding of the Porsche brand.
The young footballers can also contribute to the social good by scoring lots of goals within the “Goals for Charity” fundraiser. The sports car manufacturer will donate 400 euro for each goal scored to the “Stiftung OlympiaNachwuchs Baden-Württemberg”. The foundation is committed to the sustained support of up-and-coming sportsmen and women and accompanies young athletes on their paths to the Olympic Games.
Live on SPORT1 and in Porsche Newsroom
In collaboration with the SPORT1 television channel, the junior competition will be televised live with a German commentary. On Saturday, 6 September, six group matches on Pitch 1 will be shown on sport1.de from 10 o’clock onwards and streamed on SPORT1’s YouTube channel. On Sunday, 7 September, a semifinal, the third and fifth place play-offs will be broadcast as will the final in the Robert Schlienz Stadium at 1.45 pm – also in sport1.de and on SPORT1’s YouTube channel. The final will also be screened in linear television in SPORT1. The channel’s so-called “Doppelpass” pundit show on Sunday will transmit live from the Porsche Football Cup.
Extensive coverage will also be available here in the Porsche Newsroom at www.porschefußballcup.de (German only). In addition to the latest news, there will also be images and videos plus the tournament schedule and results on the tournament’s web site.
Schedule, Saturday 6 September
10:00 Group A VfB Stuttgart - Stuttgarter Kickers (Pitch 1)
10:00 Group A Borussia Mönchengladbach - Barcelona (PSV Stadium)
11:00 Group B Red Bull Football Academy Salzburg - VfL Wolfsburg (Pitch 1)
11:00 Group B Erzgebirge Aue - Bayern Munich (PSV Stadium)
13:00 Group A VfB Stuttgart - Borussia Mönchengladbach (Pitch 1)
13:00 Group A Stuttgarter Kickers - Barcelona (PSV Stadium)
14:00 Group B Red Bull Football Academy Salzburg - Erzgebirge Aue (Pitch 1)
14:00 Group B VfL Wolfsburg - Bayern Munich (PSV Stadium)
15:45 Group A Barcelona - VfB Stuttgart (Pitch 1)
15:45 Group A Stuttgarter Kickers - Borussia Mönchengladbach (PSV Stadium)
16:45 Group B Bayern Munich - Red Bull Football Academy Salzburg (Pitch 1)
16:45 Group B VfL Wolfsburg - Erzgebirge Aue (PSV Stadium)
“Turbo for Talents” – the Porsche Youth Development Programme
Porsche takes its societal responsibility seriously and invests specifically in the future via the Porsche Youth Development Programme. Under the motto “Turbo for Talents”, Porsche commits itself to helping youngsters in a variety of sports. 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 developing young people socially and personally. 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 Youth Development Programme is the football World Cup winner Sami Khedira. Information about the highly diverse programme can be found at www.turbofürtalente.de.
