Our

Story

Dae

Cheol

&

Matthias

Dae Cheol (Young Coach): I work at a company for people with a disability and because I also work with people with impairments at SV Werder Bremen, I wanted to learn how to better interact and communicate in this setting.

Matthias (Tandem Partner): Aside from my work as a coach at SV Werder Bremen, where I work with Dae Cheol, I’m also a lifeguard and a swimming instructor. Therefore, I would recommend the Tandem Education to people who work with children with a disability but have no connection to football. Because in my opinion, this programme is first and foremost about togetherness.

Dae Cheol: So for me this Tandem Education is a completely new experience, something I’ve never done before. I came to Werder through a carer at my work place. I used to be a player before I realised I can be more than just that. I can take on a task with more responsibilities and I was aware of that. I’ve been at Werder for a total of four years and there I’m also working with Matthias already. In those four years a lot has developed: I’ve become more courageous, I started instructing sessions. So in these four years I have developed a lot.

Matthias: Yes exactly we are already coaching a team together and we have our tasks or our clear distribution of roles. Now, since the Education, I see it in a way that Dae Cheol is more the coach and I am actually more in the background. I find it incredibly exciting to delegate more responsibility and for Dae Cheol to take over the lead in the training sessions. This is also our goal back at our club now.

Dae Cheol: Yes, that’s why it was important to me to learn where the trainer stands, how the trainer sets up trainings and, above all, what responsibility I have as a coach. Of course I am aware that I am a coach but I still have to work a bit on what tasks and responsibilities I have as a trainer and how to deal with it better.

Matthias: There was so much for us to take out of the Tandem Education and the Special Youth Camp. We could not only learn from the theoretical sessions and the inputs from the instructors but also by observing the other Tandems during their sessions and seeing how they organise and adapt their exercises.

Dae Cheol: I am proud of what we have learnt during this programme and that we were able to offer something special to the children during the Special Youth Camp. I felt like they have had real fun during all of the exercises. If we can keep this up back home in Bremen, I think we’ll eventually do it in our sleep.

Matthias: I am speechless. I had a change in perspective in Mainz and during the Special Youth Camp again. I also believe that the children had so much fun during the camp. They of course came to Basel full of expectations, especially after they saw the programme. To be able to fulfill their expectations is just brilliant.