CHAMPIONS OHNE GRENZEN

The initiative is focused on the integrative power of football – refugees volunteer their time as football coaches.

Every Wednesday at 4 o’clock, a motley group meets at FSV Hansa 07 on Wrangelstraße in Kreuzberg for a soccer match. This is the refugee team of the non-profit club Champions without Borders. The team is made up of Iranians, Syrians, Afghans, Africans, you name it. Berliners also join in as coaches. Champions without Borders, known as ChoG after its German name, has set itself a goal: The aim is to create opportunities for the refugees and the host society to meet and thus help establish a sustainably welcoming culture in Berlin. Or, to put it a little more casually: the initiative brings people of many different nationalities together. It helps to break down prejudices against asylum seekers and paves the way for refugees to find their place in everyday life and society. ChoG e uses a proven means for this: the unifying power of sport.

 „Encounters over sport play an important role for us in the club,“ says Carolin Gaffron, initiator and head of ChoG. „Playing soccer together helps the refugees clear their heads, forget the troubles at home, and their situation here for a few hours. On the field, they find their self-confidence again and also make new friends.“

Since 2017, ChoG has also been offering coaching workshops to the refugees as part of the „start2coach“ project. In tandem, experienced ChoGgers are introducing them to everyday life as coaches and the associated responsibilities. This helps further their integration: Mohammed, for example, went from being a player to a kids‘ coach and a ChoG integration guide. Such „intermediaries“ are important, both for the team and for society. „Many refugees who come to us want to play. But they hadn’t been able to find a club that would take them. We help them out, even in everyday things,“ explains Carolin Gaffron. The refugees are also glad to give something back to their new city. For example, some of the young players go to Berlin schools and talk about their experiences and their escape.

It has been a little more difficult to get refugee women and girls to join in, even though ChoG does have an open team for refugee women ages 16 and up. „We’re always looking for more women to join, both as players and coaches,“ says Carolin Gaffron, who adds „You don’t need any previous knowledge to join. Anyone can just come and play. It’s all about having fun here, not any pressure to perform.“ And so, at Champions Without Borders, men and women meet every week on the soccer field to kick the ball around and have a good time in their new home.