Sports Promotion and Inclusion

The German Blind Football League (DBFL) was founded in 2008. It was initiated by the Sepp Herberger Foundation together with the German Disabled Sports Association and the German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Since 2011, selected match days have been held as part of a city tour. This gives a broad audience the opportunity to experience firsthand the impressive achievements people with disabilities are capable of.

The game is played with a special ball that can be heard thanks to built-in rattles and helps players orient themselves on the field.

Deutsche Telekom has been a partner of the Sepp Herberger Foundation since 2017, supporting the league program and the Football Inclusion Days, among other initiatives. The company also contributes its event format, "Neue Sporterfahrung".

As part of this format, athletes without visual impairments can use specialized equipment to experience the challenges faced by blind soccer players and the specific techniques they use to overcome them. Participants experience a new kind of sport in the truest sense of the word, completing challenging exercises alongside an active blind soccer player, among other activities. In addition, "Neue Sporterfahrung" provides an important platform where athletes with and without visual impairments can connect inclusively.

Since 2022, Deutsche Telekom and the Köln 99ers have been working together to advance inclusion in sports. In addition to the project "Neue Sporterfahrung", delivered by the club’s coaches, Telekom also supports Cologne’s wheelchair basketball team in the RBBL. This commitment aims to reduce hesitation and uncertainty in interactions with people with disabilities and build greater awareness of inclusion in everyday life.

Since 2008, Deutsche Telekom has supported the German Sports Aid Foundation as a National Sponsor, helping fund top Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Over the past several years, the company has continued to develop and expand this commitment.

A particular focus of this commitment is supporting Paralympic sports. Telekom also supports the German Sports Aid Foundation's emerging female athletes and serves as a partner of the "Juniorsportler*in des Jahres" event and a supporter of the "Club der Besten," helping recognize outstanding athletic achievements.

Beyond sports, the company is also committed to the athletes' futures: Through special job application workshops, among other initiatives, Telekom helps supported athletes advance their professional development.

In addition to career-planning support, Telekom offers athletes supported by Sporthilfe internships and attractive mobile plans at reduced rates, among other benefits.