This year, for the 14th time, the municipal sponsorship award "Integration through Sport" was presented in recognition of sporting projects that make an exceptional and sustainable contribution to integration work in Aachen. Aachen's Lord Mayor Michael Ziemons emphasized in his welcoming speech at the award ceremony in the Depot Talstraße: "I am always impressed by the personal stories of the athletes, who only arrive in Germany with their hearts through the various sports activities. They don't ask where you come from. It's the shared sense of achievement that connects people. That is why I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all volunteers who make a significant contribution to successful integration, for example in the city sports association or in the association for integration through sport." Björn Jansen, Chairman of the Stadtsportbund, praised "his" clubs: "What our Aachen sports clubs achieve goes far beyond training and competition. With heart, commitment and openness, they create spaces in which people from different backgrounds come together, meet and grow together. The 'Integration through Sport' award recognizes precisely this quiet but so effective commitment - and makes visible what often happens in the background."

After the welcoming speeches, the evening's moderator, André Schnitker, then announced Ulrich Vogel-Sokolowsky from the BAMF. Among other things, his keynote speech dealt with social participation through sport and the great importance of club and volunteer work. Afterwards, the applicants for the award were able to introduce themselves personally and directly to the audience. "I am proud that we have been able to award the prize for special integration work to sports clubs and other institutions that offer sports activities for disadvantaged people with an integrative or inclusive focus for many years. The award recognizes the work of the clubs, especially the trainers, most of whom work on a voluntary basis, and makes it known to the public," said a delighted Hans Georg Suchotzki, 1st Chairman of the "Integration through Sport" support association.

After the theory, things got sporty: Turnverein 1885 Richterich e. V. delighted the audience with their cheerleading show dance. This was followed by a short panel discussion with experts and former award winners on the importance of sport for integration and the challenges of implementing integration projects, before the highlight of the evening: the 2025 sponsorship awards were presented.

The winners 2025
First place went to Burtscheider Turnerbund Aachen 1908 e. V. with its "eRollisport" project. The association offers a unique new sports and leisure program for young people with disabilities that has never been available in the Aachen region before. Far away from everyday difficulties and barriers, the club offers participants the opportunity to compete in sports and experience themselves as a team. The club's existing partnerships with the Viktor Frankl School and the Vinzenz Home provide low-threshold access to sports activities. This allows young people with severe motor impairments to pursue their own sporting interests and provides them with a meeting place where they can do sport together. In addition to the social and sporting aspects, health promotion is not neglected. The aim of the club is also to counteract the deterioration of illnesses and disabilities and to maintain or at best improve mobility. Physical rehabilitation, increased self-confidence, teamwork and fun are the top priorities of this project. 1,500 euros in prize money went to Burtscheid for this project.

The DJK Forster Linde e. V. club came second with its "SpüG - Sport überwindet Grenzen" project and received 1,000 euros As the only local sports club with activities in Driescher Hof - a multinational district in Aachen - the club offers children in particular the opportunity to exercise and develop a positive body image on a weekly basis. Around 60 children from a wide range of nationalities, often with rudimentary language skills, are supervised weekly in courses for different age groups. The courses focus on fun and games as well as the experience of making oneself understood and experiencing acceptance even without language. The instructors meet the challenge of the language barrier with patience, respect and open-mindedness. Thanks to the close cooperation with the Forster Linde Catholic Municipal Primary School, the children are gently introduced to physical exercise and their confidence in their own abilities is strengthened. The SpüG courses are often the only opportunity for the children, who are often overweight or lack age-appropriate mobility, to get some exercise apart from school sports.

Third place went to the "Kids Skate Course" project run by the 1st Aachen Skateboard Club . The club offers a weekly guided skate course for beginners. Participation in the course is free and possible without registration. Skateboards, helmets and protectors can also be borrowed free of charge. During the course, the skate park is reserved for the course participants so that they can approach skateboarding in a safe and informal environment. The focus here is on having fun and socializing, which allows the sport to function as a platform for social interaction. The cooperation with OGS Mataréstraße means that many children can be reached and participate thanks to the project's low-threshold approach. 500 euros went to the skate club.

Recognition prizes were also awarded to the projects "Unitystars" by FV Vaalserquartier e. V. and "Miteinander am Ball - Prävention durch Sport" by Haus für Familien der evangelischen Familienbildung Aachen, which received prize money of 250 euros and 150 euros respectively.

The sponsorship award and the sponsorship association
The prize money for the recognition awards is provided by the Aachener Förderverein Integration durch Sport e. V. (Aachen Sponsorship Association for Integration through Sport).

The award-winning projects can come from clubs, independent youth welfare organizations, migrant self-organizations, but also other institutions and committed individuals. The event is organized by the city's Department of Housing, Social Affairs and Integration, the Department of Sport, the Stadtsportbund Aachen e. V. and the Förderverein "Integration durch Sport e. V.". Five selected applicants will be given the opportunity to present their project to the public on this evening and will also receive a cash prize.