Between May 11 and May 13 of this year, Germany hosted preliminary finals for the Seni Cup soccer tournament in Berlin, an event organized to benefit those with intellectual disabilities.
Of the 22 German teams that participated in the tournament, the Don Bosco School in Recke, Lebenshilfe Dresden and Caritas Ansberge will advance in the hopes of qualifying for the Cup’s world finals.
Headlined under the encompassing slogan, “Football for more self-esteem,” the teams, equipped with both male and female players, were divided based on each participant’s degree of intellectual impairment in order to ensure fairness among the groups.
Together with the Society for Care and Social Assistance, Seni, a European manufacturer of medical, hygienic and personal care products, organized the tournament as early as 2000. Seni covers the expenses and costs of the care institutions that participate, enabling organizations from all over Germany to join the tournament.
In addition to the charitable benefits, the event was also an important highlight in ITMS’ calendar. The marketing agency handles all advertising and public relations for Seni in Germany and was on-site to coordinate media communications. Mathias Mandler, Senior Public Relations Manager at ITMS, attended the event in Berlin. “The Seni Cup is a great event for participants. An attractive supporting program fosters plenty of community spirit, and the sporting competition is conducted at a very high level. Joerg Dittwar, coach of the national team for people with disabilities, also attended the tournament to scout for new talent for the German national team. The Seni Cup 2015 was a successful event for everyone involved,” Mandler said.
Now, the three teams await the international finals, which will be held in Poland. Joining them are finalists from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Lithuania and Latvia. The international finals will take place from July 1 to July 3 of this year.
