1st inclusive Bambini tournament at Ossecker Stadium

The Bonhoeffer School team wins the first inclusive soccer Bambini tournament in Hof.

Auf dem Bild sind Kinder-Fußballteams in einem Stadion zu sehen, die sich im Kreis mit ihrem Trainer besprechen. — Foto (Stadt Hof): Teambesprechungen kurz vor den Finalspielen, rechts: Team Bonhoefferschule

Auf dem Bild sind Kinder in Fußballkleidung zu sehen, die von einer Frau und einem Mann Medaillen umgehängt bekommen. — Foto (Stadt Hof): Siegerehrung mit Oberbürgermeisterin Eva Döhla und Athletensprecher Max Kühnreich

Auf dem Bild sind neun Personen mit Fußbällen zu sehen, die in einem Stadion nebeneinander stehen. — Foto (Stadt Hof): (von links) Anje Frohmader, Fachbereich Sport Stadt Hof, Franz Schlammerl, Special Olympics Bayern, Jörg Herzig, Leiter der Schule am Lindenbühl, Andreas Gross, Fachbereichsleiter Schulen Stadt Hof, Siegried Wonsack, Geschäftsführer der Lebenshilfe, Corinna Merk, Special Olympics Bayern, Eva Döhla, Oberbürgermeisterin, Max Kühnreich, Athletensprecher Special Olympics Bayern, Horst Lang, Mitglied im Familienbeirat Special Olympics Bayern

A day dedicated to sport, fair play and inclusion in practice: around 130 football-loving children from Hof and the surrounding area came together at the first inclusive Bambini tournament on May 20, 2025 at the Ossecker Stadion. The tournament was organized by the city of Hof together with Lebenshilfe Hof and Special Olympics Bayern.

"This tournament shows how inclusion can succeed - with enthusiasm, team spirit and mutual respect," said Mayor Eva Döhla, who performed the award ceremony together with Special Olympics Bayern athlete spokesperson Max Kühnreich. "Every child who played today has won - not just a medal, but above all an important experience."

The event is part of a network that was created as part of the "Host Town" project for the 2023 Special Olympics World Games. The aim is to raise awareness of inclusion through encounters and shared experiences - especially among children. The sports department of the city of Hof and Lebenshilfe Hof had taken over the organization in advance. After a welcome from Jörg Herzig, the head of the Schule am Lindenbühl, and Max Kühnreich, the athlete spokesperson for Special Olympics Bavaria, the event got underway on three small pitches in the Ossecker Stadium.

Pupils from the 3rd and 4th grades of elementary school in Hof and the 4th and 5th grades of special schools in the city and district of Hof took part. The game was played on three small pitches according to the so-called Swiss system: the schedule was determined by the results of the previous games, which ensured excitement right to the end. There were a total of five rounds plus the final matches. Each team consisted of five outfield players and a goalkeeper and each match lasted eight minutes.

Five young referees ensured the necessary fairness on the pitch: Luca Miess and Lars Opel from Schiller-Gymnasium as well as Max Wolfrum, Luca Ströhla and Leon Müller from the vocational school at Schule am Lindenbühl. They managed the games with care and commitment.

The first placings in the three performance classes

Performance group I: Team Bonhoefferschule, Hof
Performance group II: Team Sophie von der Sophienschule, Hof
Performance group III: Schule am Martinsberg, Naila

In the end, however, the focus was not on points and goals, but on the shared joy of sport: all children received a medal as a memento of this special day. The Lions Club Hof, Meinel Bräu, Graf bakery, dm drugstore, dennree and Izmir Markt provided fruit, pretzels, drinks, fruit bars and glucose during the breaks in play.