Peru: A helping hand to the world's oldest coach in the world
You don’t always have to make a big financial donation to help people in need. (Marc Habermeyer, Head of Marketing & Brands at profine group)
Shirts for children trained by the oldest coach in the world.
Marc Habermeyer from Kömmerling happened to be watching the ‘Weltspiegel’ international news programme on TV about the excellent work done by football coach Maria Angélica Ramos in a Lima suburb. Despite being 92 years of age, Maria can be found on the concrete football pitch coaching kids under the most basic of conditions four days a week. “I wish I had football shirts for the kids. It breaks my heart. Maybe I can afford them one day, but right now, I haven’t got the money,” said ‘La Vieja’ (The Old Lady), on the programme. Marc Habermeyer immediately picked up the phone. A big financial donation isn’t always necessary. He knew that Kömmerling would be able to help as main sponsor of Bundesliga club Mainz 05, so he called the “Weltspiegel” team and pledged a donation of football shirts for the kids in Lima. They gave him the address of their foreign correspondent in Lima and a big parcel containing the shirts was on its way to Peru a couple of days later.
For a better world.
The team shirts make football even more exciting for the children in Lima. Now they look like a real team when they play. The shirts are also encouraging more children to join in, helping Maria Angélica Ramos to keep them off the streets and teach them essential values through her strict discipline on the football pitch. Maria’s untiring work as coach has prevented many children and adolescents from descending into a life of crime. She says she has probably trained around 1,000 kids in her lifetime. We think ‘La Vieja’ is a football heroine.
Football as an opportunity.
People around the world are fascinated by football. We share that passion. As the sponsor of Bundesliga club Mainz 05 we experience all the positive impacts of football on an almost daily basis. This sport promotes health, fosters team spirit and offers an escape from poverty for many talented players. The majority of major league football players at international clubs who grew up in poverty, or lived under difficult social conditions, never forget where they came from. That is a good thing because they are role models for many children.
