This is a press release from Mataracan GmbH.
As part of Baskets@School, four schools with around 100 pupils from the fifth to tenth grade will also take part in a Baskets sports lesson. The project, which is run by around 35 employees every year, set a new record in the 2019/20 season with 65 schools taking part. Around a dozen participants in Baskets@School, which is also being supported by Barmer Ersatzkasse from this season onwards, have now made the leap into the Telekom Baskets youth teams.
For the City of Bonn, which has been a project partner from the outset, the figures impressively show "that the Baskets@School project has lost none of its appeal since its launch," says Mayor Katja Dörner. "On the contrary: the record number of participants this year underlines once again that the introduction to the great sport of basketball is already attracting a great deal of interest in elementary school and that children can be encouraged in sport in a playful way in this way," Katja Dörner continued.
"The 'Baskets@School' project is a success story. Since its launch six years ago, we have succeeded in getting more and more children and young people from first to tenth grade excited about exercise, sport and, of course, basketball in particular," says Henning Stiegenroth, Head of Group Sponsoring at Telekom. "Sport touches, inspires and connects people. Sport strengthens team spirit, cohesion and fairness. The record number of participants this year is a great confirmation of our commitment," continues Stiegenroth.
The Telekom Baskets are also delighted, with sports manager Daniel Seffern saying: "We're delighted that our joint project with Telekom is not only a perennial favorite, but that this season is appealing to even more schools than in the past six years."
New project partner Barmer Ersatzkasse emphasizes: "As the official health partner of Baskets@school, we want to introduce youngsters to sport and exercise at an early age. For us, these are central elements of the prevention work of a statutory health insurance company. That's why we are looking forward to the joint project and the start of the Baskets Primary School Challenge and the Baskets Primary School League," says Daniel Severos, Managing Director Bonn.
Top participating schools have already won over 10,000 euros in prize money
In the "Baskets@School" sports promotion project, Schlossbachschule from Röttgen has been on the podium most often in the primary school challenge. And in the last two years, it has even won twice in a row. In the primary school league, the field of participants is generally much more evenly balanced. In recent years, the Adelheidisschule Bonn (2022/23), the community elementary school from Troisdorf-Sieglar (2021/22) and the Andreasschule Bonn (2019/20) have won there. So far, over 10,000 euros in prize money has already been paid out to the top winners. Traditionally, the winners also receive an attractive matchday visit with a look behind the scenes at Telekom Baskets.
Baskets@School ensures growth in young talent at Bonn basketball clubs
All basketball clubs in Bonn and the surrounding area benefit from the primary school challenge and league. The boys' and girls' teams are equally pleased about the increase in interested athletes. One example is 13-year-old Johann Otterpohl from Bonn-Dransdorf. He plays in the U14 youth team of Telekom Baskets Bonn, is team captain and even in the training squad of the U16 team, which competes in the NRW regional league. Johan, who now attends Helmholtz-Gymnasium, got to know basketball at Ketteler School in the AG and the primary school challenge. His wish: "It would be cool to play for the Baskets pros later on." A mini-documentary about him and the Baskets@School project will be published on www.baskets-at-school.de (opens in a new tab) at the end of the current season, in which the 13-year-old reviews his experiences with the project.
Teacher training and thousands of viewers
The idea behind Baskets@School also includes training for the teachers involved. Most recently, 40 teachers from elementary school took part in a training course in September. The finals take place in the Telekom Dome in Bonn, against an impressive backdrop. This makes the children and young people feel like professionals. Thousands of enthusiastic spectators have already attended the exciting finals - from schools and basketball fans to the participants' families. The professionals from Telekom Baskets Bonn are also present at the finals every year.
The schedule for the current season
The current season in the Primary School Challenge has just started with the first training sessions, with the Challenge Days taking place from the beginning of December and the final on February 17, 2024. In the Primary School League, schools will still have plenty of opportunity for training sessions in their basketball clubs until the start of the group phase in March and April next year, with support from Baskets professionals from January. The final in the league will then take place on April 28, 2024. The sports lessons for grades five to ten start at the beginning of November and are spread over the season.
Further information on the project can be found at: www.baskets-at-school.de (opens in a new tab)