Special matchday in German football: Thanks to the volunteers!

Once a year, the German Football Association (DFB) and the German Football League (DFL) work together to thank the more than 24,000 clubs and the 1.6 million football volunteers in the country. When it comes to the really important points, football makes an important point: thank you to volunteer workers. The motto? Volunteering is priceless.

"Thank you to volunteer workers" is one of many ways for the German Football Association to recognise, strengthen and promote volunteer work. Other activities include the annual "Club 100" gala and the "Football Heroes" educational trip organised for young volunteers in particular.

Peter Frymuth, DFB Vice President of Match Operations and Football Development, said: "Our clubs create places for community. Diverse cultures and opinions come together there. Football unites them. Without the millions of volunteers, these places would disappear. Our joint task must be to shape volunteering in a contemporary way – and that means shorter and project-related tasks – and to ensure that volunteering is appreciated in the long term."

Despite trends to the contrary, volunteering is by no means out of fashion for other people. Around 29 million people in Germany do voluntary work. 13.5% of volunteers are involved in sport, which constitutes the largest voluntary activity. When the online portal for "EURO 2024 Volunteers" went live in the summer, 10,000 people applied – within the first 24 hours.

A thank you can be expressed in many ways. An appreciative smile for the freshly washed kits. An embrace for coaching a children's team. Or a quick thank-you for driving for the umpteenth time. This is another reason why German football says thank-you to volunteers across the country once per year.

Volunteering indispensable in professional football too

The DFB, the 21 state associations and EURO GmbH are offering further support for voluntary work in the form of the DFB Points Game. Interested clubs can find 18 online campaigns from four categories (players, coaches, referees and club life) for which points can be collected. Attractive rewards are available – from an event day with the German national team to European Championship tickets. Points are also awarded to clubs that submit a proposal for Football Heroes or the Volunteer Award/Club 100.