German Bundesliga side DSC Arminia Bielefeld have announced another milestone as part of their internationalization strategy in South Africa as the club enters a partnership with Maritzburg United FC. Digital training sessions, coach education and knowledge transfer in various fields especially youth development will take centre stage at the first step.

The South African side from the city of Pietermaritzburg in the KwaZulu-Natal province plays in the top tier of the country, the Premier Soccer League, since 2008. The club is coached by former Bielefeld head coach Ernst Middendorp, while former South Africa and Arminia Bielefeld goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez is the goalkeeping coach.

“We have already experienced the unifying power of football irrespective all boundaries last year. We were able to do a lot of things despite the distance and the difficult situation due to the global coronavirus pandemic, when we brought some joy to the kids and teenagers in South Africe, and educated young talents and coaches in this football-crazy country,” said Maurice Eschweiler, Vice President, DSC Arminia Bielefeld e.V. “This partnership ist our first step to connect Arminia Bielefeld with football-loving people around the world. I would like to thank everyone who were involved to make this partnership happen. I would particularly like to thank club president Farook Kadodia and his son Younes for the fruitful and trustful talks. We look forward to a great partnership and a vivid cooperation.”

Arminia Bielefeld successfully kicked off their international projects in 2021 alongside their partner Schächter Sports, when they organised various youth football activations in South Africa, the United States and Japan. The commitment in South Africa is now extended with this club partnership.

Finn Holsing, Head of DSC Arminia Bielefeld’s AKADEMINIA, is delighted and looking forward to the exchange: “Last year we have experienced the excitment and joy when we had the opportunity to share our ideas and concept of youth development. This exchange in sporting terms, culturally and especially at human level is a great chance for everyone involved and it will surely create moments and experiences with a great value. We look forward to the experiences and results in the coming months.”

(DSC Arminia Bielefeld)