Bundesliga International has partnered with Safe-Hub in South Africa to launch the “Bundesliga x Safe-Hub Series”, a four-month fair play tournament series, with the aim of creating a safe space for children and young adults to play football and engage with educational and sporting programmes.
Safe-Hub creates communities in collaboration with local partners so that young people can thrive. The aim is to realise a vision for an equal world by improving access to support and opportunity in under-resourced neighbourhoods.
The partnership was unveiled at a press conference on Thursday evening, ahead of the Bundesliga’s 60th anniversary celebrations in Johannesburg.
Over the second half of the 2023-24 Bundesliga season, Bundesliga International and Safe-Hub will host weekend qualification tournaments, with children of all ages teaming up to qualify for the “Bundesliga x Safe-Hub Series Finals”, scheduled for May, 2024.
To celebrate the project’s launch, the Totalsports Safe-Hub in Alexandra, Johannesburg, will host a kick-off event on Saturday 9 December, attended by Bundesliga and Nigeria Legend Jay-Jay Okocha, as well as Sibusiso Zuma, former South African national team and Arminia Bielefeld striker.
Jay-Jay Okocha said: “In Africa, football means everything. Wherever you go, you see children playing, it is how I fell in love with the sport. I believe this project will be a great opportunity for young kids to enjoy football in a safe space, and will have a huge benefit, not only for them but for the community as a whole.”