Two students organise a special tournament

Students at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences come from a wide variety of nations to complete their academic education in the seaside city. Thanks to the internationalisation of many degree programmes such as International Tourism Management and Process Engineering and Energy Technology, which are taught in English, even students whose native language is not German quickly find their way around the "Hochschule Am Meer".

Mutual acceptance overcomes language barriers

And even after the lectures, many young people actively experience community: for example, in the international football club. Ameen Siddiqui and Anandhu Somanath take part every Wednesday evening at the gym of Bremerhaven's Lloyd Gymnasium. They both study Process Engineering and Energy Technology in Bremerhaven and set up a small football tournament at the end of the semester. "They approached me and organised the tournament on their own - with six teams," says a delighted Prof. Dr. Dieter Heimann. Heimann is Dean of Studies at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences and used to play football actively himself. He knows from his own experience the unifying power of sport - especially when there are minor language barriers among the players. "In our football club, it's not so much about the language, but about the shared experience and that everyone feels accepted."

"Feel at home in Bremerhaven"

The football club is something students wanted and started last year in cooperation with Gudrun Zimmermann and Claudia Krieten from the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Diversity at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences. "We see that many friendships develop," reports Dieter Heimann. And that's exactly the goal, he says: "We welcome everyone warmly and want to make it easier, especially for students who don't come from Germany, to arrive and feel at home in Bremerhaven." The professor is particularly pleased that more and more female players are joining the team. "And in general it's good to finally get active together again after the sedentary time of the pandemic!"
University Rector Prof. Dr. Dr. Alexis Papathanassis had the honour of handing out the winner's certificates and medals to the tournament winners. "I think it's great how the young people here have fun together. This creates a real quality of life at the university and in Bremerhaven!" He and the student representatives actively support the footballers.

The dream: exchange with other Bremerhaven football teams

Now, after the successful tournament at the end of the semester, the footballers from Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences have only one wish: they would like to compete against other football teams from the maritime city and perhaps one day train on a real football pitch.

(Not only) football enthusiasts can now apply for one of the many attractive degree programmes at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences.