A strong alliance for Gelsenkirchen and the European Football Championship has been formed to pool Gelsenkirchen's strengths: On the occasion of the tournament next summer, the city of Gelsenkirchen, the Emscher-Lippe employers' associations, FC Schalke 04 and the North Westphalia Chamber of Industry and Commerce have agreed to use the UEFA EURO 2024 to present the city as a hospitable, sustainable and innovative business location under the motto "Gelsenkirchen - We speak soccer and shape the future".
Four specific projects have been agreed for this purpose: A business pavilion will be set up in the Friedrich Grillo Industrial Club as a meeting point for domestic and foreign business partners. An exhibition and event venue will be created on the rooms of the ZINQ company at the city harbour, where future topics such as hydrogen, digitalization, education, sustainability, the circular economy and the Emscher conversion will be presented and themed days will be held. Other projects include the establishment of a company eleven, which exemplifies the various and diverse economic activities in Gelsenkirchen, and the launch of a multi-year reading project for primary school pupils.
Eye-catcher on site and in the media
"Our projects are eye-catching and associated with a concrete benefit. They are intended to make domestic and foreign guests as well as social media users curious about Gelsenkirchen and the potential that exists here," says Dr. Jochen Grütters, Head of the Emscher-Lippe Chamber of Commerce and Industry, explaining the aim of the joint initiative. The companies in the UnternehmensElf will finance individually designed oversized steel footballs and set them up at their locations. The balls will be manufactured in Gelsenkirchen and will have a diameter of 1.6 meters. "We want to create an eye-catcher on site and in the media," says Grütters.
"The commitment of the local economy is a fitting addition to the already diverse activities of the city of Gelsenkirchen and shows the companies' commitment to their location," says Gelsenkirchen's Lord Mayor Karin Welge and adds: "Above all, I am pleased that we are tackling the future issues in our city together."
Peter Knäbel, board member of FC Schalke 04, also believes that the four projects are well chosen: "Sustainability and education are key topics for the future that we are also addressing at FC Schalke 04. We want to have a positive impact on the lives of people in Gelsenkirchen, which is why we are delighted to be able to dovetail the partners' individual activities through joint projects and establish a resilient network beyond EURO 2024."
Projects for young people
"With our projects, we also want to do something concrete for young people in our city," says Michael Grütering, Managing Director of the Emscher-Lippe employers' associations. "To make a successful start to their careers, school leavers need to have skills in arithmetic, reading and writing," says Grütering. The aim of a multi-year reading project is to increase primary school pupils' interest in reading and improve their reading skills. The project will kick off on the nationwide Read Aloud Day on November 17, 2023.
