SCORING GIRLS* AWARDED WITH JULIUS HIRSCH PRIZE 2020

A wonderful message reached us in September 2020: the DFB-Verband (German Football Federation) had just decided with to award our SCORING GIRLS* project with the Julius Hirsch Prize. This Saturday, the prize ceremony could finally take place.  The trophy and certificate were handed to us by Julia Hirsch, the great-granddaughter of the Julius “Juller” Hirsch, a national footballer of Jewish origin who was persecuted and ultimately murdered by the Nazis and gave his name to the prize. Every year, this prize honours people and institutions who stand up for democracy and human dignity as well as against anti-Semitism, racism and all forms of discrimination.

Tuğba Tekkal, initiator and spirit leader of the SCORING GIRLS*, was very moved and grateful, she said:

“This award is something very special – not only for us, but also for those who support us every day to implement this work the way we want to. When I started back in 2016, I would not have thought it possible that it would become this big: I thought I’d go to the football field for a bit, kick around with a few girls. But what has come out of it makes me all the more happy!”

HÁWAR.help chairwoman Düzen Tekkal was no less moved. Holding the framed award certificate in her hands, she thanked the members of the jury:

“I would like to sincerely thank everyone: the DFB Association, the DFB Foundation, but especially you, dear Julia Hirsch, for standing here today: as the great-granddaughter of the award’s namesake, who was a national player of Jewish descent and who was oppressed and killed because of his religion and ethnicity. I think it is a great legacy that you have taken on. […] In this sense, we would also like to carry the prize – even though we have already received one or the other prize and appreciation, this prize is a very special one for us. We would like to associate with it the promise that we will continue exactly as we have been doing!”

A few of our SCORING GIRLS* took the opportunity to attend the award ceremony on Saturday. They were interested in Julius Hirsch’s life and wanted to learn more about the story of his persecution, which made them quite contemplative.

It was a memorable award ceremony that we will remember for a long time! We thank the jury from the bottom of our hearts for their trust and appreciation of our work!

The other winners of the Julius Hirsch Award 2020: Spirit of Football Germany and the “Topf und Söhne” place of remembrance for the joint integration project “Fairplay? Then, now, on the pitch and in everyday life”. The Hoffenheim TSG Academy and Centropa were also awarded a prize for their joint project “Zahor – Remember“, a short film about the brothers Heinz (Menachem) and Manfred (Fred) Mayer, two Holocaust survivors. Congratulations to those honoured together with us!