SV Werder Bremen have been awarded UEFA's Grassroots Award for their work in amateur football. Werder took home the award in the 'Best Professional Club' category, beating out 16 nominees from other European clubs. UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin personally congratulated the Green-Whites on the award during a video press conference, and thanked them for their outstanding commitment to football.
“We’re very happy that our many years of commitment are being honoured in this way. The DFB nominated us for our work and the UEFA jury chose us as the winners. This gives us the motivation to continue along this path, one that is so important especially in these times where professional football is seen as losing sight of its roots. Werder Bremen will always stand for this commitment to promote, develop and live all things football,” said Dr. Hubertus Hess-Grunewald, Werder’s president and managing director.
In making its decision, UEFA listed Werder’s school programs, their various inclusion efforts, and the SPIELRAUM-Project as examples of the club’s community work. SV Werder have been involved in amateur football for several years, helping to shape the local sports scene together with the Bremer Fußball-Verband (BFV).
Werder’s players, who frequently take part in numerous initiatives with the club, were also pleased that the club and its employees have been recognised with this award. “I’ve been able to experience Werder’s commitment to community work first-hand on several occasions. The team and myself are all in full support of this commitment,” said Niclas Füllkrug
After having identified a lack of qualified physical education teachers, SVW implemented a school program that aims to promote motor development in children and youth. The program has been implemented in 11 local districts and supports the city’s education system. Werder also offer a program that provides more than 120 football players with disabilities the chance to take part in regular training sessions. With the support of a partner organisation, the program has also provided coaching courses to 14 young people with disabilities. SV Werder also have an extensive grassroots football department, with 25 teams.
Werder’s SPIELRAUM program is using sports as a means of connecting with children between the ages of 10 and 14. The program offers weekly training sessions in five local districts and serves as a supplementary program to the various youth social programs run by the city. Together with Refugio, Werder also run five programs at the Weserstadion designed for refugees.
UEFA have been presenting the Grassroots Award since 2010. Since then, 96 individuals and projects from 36 different countries have been honoured, spread out over five categories.
SV Werder Bremen's corporate social responsibility work is carried out with the support of our CSR partners. For several years, they have been supporting projects and programs under the banner of WERDER BEWEGT-LEBENSLANG, making a valuable contribution to the implementation of Werder's social and community work. More information on our sponsors can be found here.
