streetfootballworld, in cooperation with Sony, organised a large festival in Berlin on August 21st, featuring a beach football tournament played without referees and using fair play rules.  Participation was open to all friends and partners of streetfootballworld, including young people from the German Street Football Network.

The young players, most of whom came from disadvantaged backgrounds, were intently observed by VIP guests Thomas Helmer and Axel Kruse, as the two former German national footballers were tasked with selecting two “Players of the Day.”  The two winners were awarded a very special evening of football on the 22nd of September, 2009: they will play a match in Venice as Sony’s guests.

“Today shows what can be achieved when partners combine their resources and work together to reach a goal.  Football is a wonderful common language and fosters emotional connections,” said Jürgen Griesbeck, founder and Managing Director of streetfootballworld. 

At the BeachMitte grounds in Berlin, 20 teams faced off against one another on four sand fields.  Six youth squads were joined by teams from McKinsey, Sony Deutschland and Scholz & Friends, as well as by employees of adidas and FIFA.  Jeffry van Ede, Managing Director of Sony Deutschland, spoke glowingly of the programme: “The most important means we have to fight social injustice and misunderstanding is constant dialogue with one another.  We want to support streetfootballworld and the German Street Football Network with our expertise and our products to encourage the continuation of this common dialogue through football.” 

The clear winner of the tournament was Dynamo Windrad from Kassel.  Thomas Helmer and Axel Kruse awarded the grand prize, “Players of the Day” to Burcay Birli of Dynamo Windrad and Burkibar Cisse from buntkickgut from Munich.  Out of the 30 young participants, they were chosen not on the basis of their football skills, but on their commitment to fairness and team play. 

The two winners will travel in September with Sony to Venice and play in a “Twilight Football Match” with five other players chosen by UEFA.  All in all, seven tournaments will take place as part of Sony's Twilight Football campaign, which will take place during twilight on the 22nd and 23rd of September.  In front of the breathtaking scenery of four continents, inspired photographers—amateur and professional—will use Sony's cameras to document very special football games. 

This extraordinary concept will demonstrate the advantages of the new Exmor R™ CMOS sensors developed by Sony, which allow brilliant photos and videos to be shot in low lighting conditions.  “For the teenagers, the trip to Venice is a fantastic opportunity to experience football in another environment, to gather new impressions, and to socialise,” commented Thomas Helmer.  Sony Deutschland has worked with streetfootballworld since April of this year.  Through this partnership, Sony has made use of the diverse skills of its organisation and employees to further projects that use football to address development issues.

Translated by Jordan Krechmer