This marks the tenth time the event has brought together children and teens from schools, organizations, and clubs. In addition to the athletic competition, the focus is above all on fair play, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence. 

The tournament is organized by the Reduit Children’s, Youth, and Neighborhood Center of the Office of Social Work, in collaboration with the 2nd Police Precinct and TSG 1846 Mainz-Kastel. Cooperation partners include the Fair Play Forum of the Hessian Soccer Association and Sportjugend Hessen. The event is supported by gesundekids e.V., a nonprofit initiative of the Rotary Club of Wiesbaden, as well as by Kultur in der Reduit e.V. 

The anniversary tournament will be opened at 2:00 p.m. by City Councilman Alexander Hofmann and Katrin Thaler, Deputy Police Chief of the West Hesse Police Headquarters. Katrin Thaler and Christa Gabriel, the new head of the Kastel district, are serving as patrons of the event. At 2:30 p.m., the games will begin with elementary school children and teenagers. At the same time, there will be games and arts-and-crafts activities for children and parents. Around 6:00 p.m., Andreas Bockius, the stadium announcer for Mainz 05, will honor the winning teams. 

A special feature this year is the collaboration with the newly established Mainz-Kastel Children’s Parliament. Its first motion will be implemented immediately during the tournament. Under the title “Affordable Ice Cream on Hot Days,” the children proposed offering discounted ice cream to kids on warm days. The Mainz-Kastel Local Advisory Council supported the motion and allocated 300 euros for its implementation. As a result, the “Eis Toni” ice cream truck will be on site at the street soccer tournament, handing out free ice cream to participating children and teens. 

Dr. Patricia Becher, Head of Social Affairs, is particularly pleased with this first tangible success: “The Kastel Children’s Parliament only launched this year—which makes it all the more wonderful that its first proposal can already be visibly implemented. This allows the children to experience firsthand that their ideas are being heard and that their participation can make a difference. That is exactly what genuine children’s participation is all about: Children should not only be able to express their wishes and ideas, but also experience that they can actively help shape their neighborhood.” 

The Street Soccer Tournament for Tolerance was first held in September 2016 with young people at the Kastel-Housing shared accommodation facility. Since then, the event has become a regular fixture designed to foster connections and break down prejudices through soccer. For their commitment, the 2nd Police Precinct and the Reduit Children’s and Youth Center were honored as early as 2018 in the “Good Practice Examples” category as part of the Lotto Hessen Fair Play Awards presented by the Hessian Soccer Association.