Summer Camp And Team Spirit

Nick, Hannover

96-Talents+Friends is the football school of the Bundesliga club Hannover 96. With over 300 events and more than 8,000 participating children per year, 96-Talents+Friends is one of the five largest football schools in Germany. Football camps are hosted near Hannover, throughout northern Germany and internationally in Austria, Italy and Croatia. Children have the opportunity to train under professional training conditions with experienced coaches and receive experiences including a visit from a first-team professional. Nick is a 10-year-old participant at the 96-Talents+Friends school near Hannover.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life? 

My name is Nick, I am 10 years old and I am in the 4th grade. I live with my parents in Rethen, Germany. My hobbies are of course everything to do with football and I love to go swimming. I first became interested in football at the age of six, when my parents took me to a Hannover 96 game for the first time. Since then I have not been able to get football out of my head.

Shortly after that, I started playing for my home club FC Rethen. Later I also took part in a weekend camp at the 96 football school. From that moment on, I have actually been at 96-Talents+Friends every week, a programme being run by Hannover 96. I started with individual training sessions and holiday camps, and now I play on the advanced course at the 96 Academy. I also get more training sessions at the NFV (Lower Saxony Football Association) scout training. Football is not just a hobby for me now, it is my life.

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning?

The photos show my enthusiasm for football and my passion for Hannover 96. Football connects people! I have made new friends (Luc-Lion, André, Mika) at 96-Talents+Friends but also met people I went to kindergarten with again (Tom and Ben). I had not seen Tom and Ben for a long time. I met them again at the summer camp at the 96 Academy. That was a special surprise for all of us. We had a lot of fun and a wonderful week of football.

The coaches and staff from Hannover 96 are also part of it for me. They are always so nice and kind to me, whether it is at the games or at the training sessions. The photos were taken at the 96-Talents+Friends Summer Camp 2022 at the 96 Academy and at the Heinz von Heiden Arena.

You can also see my favourite steward at the Hannover 96 game against Regensburg and us cheering on the 96 team against Regensburg together.

Are there any great moments connected with the people you photographed?

Apart from my kindergarten friends and new friendships, the best moment was when I got Fabian Kunze's jersey as a present. He was at the 96-Talents+Friends summer camp. In the 96 match that followed, I was a ballboy. Fabian Kunze recognised me and gave me his 96 jersey, which meant a lot to me. The photos were taken spontaneously. I saw a situation and thought it would fit perfectly.

Can you tell us the impact playing with Hannover had on you?

The training of 96-Talents+Friends plays a very big role for me. Especially during the Covid times, I was very happy that I could continue training at the 96 Academy. It was "only" individual training but it helped me a lot and I was taught a lot. I took part in individual training several times, which helped me to develop steadily, and finally I got into the performance course of 96-Talents+Friends.

I ended up on the advanced course, where I still train once a week with Marco and Micha. Without them, I would not be as technically advanced as I am today.

What role does football play in your community and German society?

In our club and with our coaches, it is not only football that is in the foreground, but also fair play, team spirit and respect for each other. Discrimination, exclusion and racism do not stand a chance with us. In German society, that is probably the same, at least I hope so. But I am still a bit young to be able to know that, or I have not had enough experience yet. In any case, football plays a special role because it is one of the most important sports in the world. 

What does football mean to you? What ambitions do you have for the future?

Football is not just a sport for me. It has strengthened me and made me a self-confident 10-year-old boy. Football connects, I have met many lovely people through it and made friends. I live for football, it is more than a passion for me! I would like to develop further and continue to work on my strengths and weaknesses. And of course I hope to play for the "Reds" one day.

What is the future for football in Hannover and Germany?

I cannot see into the future but I hope and wish that football will continue to be promoted, especially in the youth. And that everyone can play football if they want to, whether ‘poor’ or ‘rich’.