Hoffenheim win first friendly in India

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim completed the Bundesliga season with a week-long trip to India.

In partnership with the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), Hoffenheim were in India to promote the Bundesliga across the subcontinent. The focus of the visit was in addition to the promotion of the league, especially in the uptake of sustainable, social projects. In close cooperation with main sponsor SAP, TSG looked after four social projects. In Calcutta, Goa and Aizawl TSG 1899 visited schools and clubs, also they conducted training sessions with children, among other activities, f.e. they visited an orphanage in Kolkata.

Sporting highlight was a friendly match in the mountain region of Aizawl against a team of the state of Mizoram. “We gave a good account of ourselves,” said Headcoach Markus Gisdol: “The players had a lot of fun and our opponents were very active and had some good chances to score." Final result: 3-0 (strikers: Anthony Modeste, Eugen Polanski and Jiloan Hamad) in front of a crowd of 11,000 spectators. "It was also nice to feel the enthusiasm of the people here", mentioned Gisdol: "This wonderful experience will live long in our memories.”

The "Tour of India" was organizational by the support club "Global United FC". "We are pleased to make this trip as an international ambassador of the Bundesliga, while being able to push sustainable, socially relevant projects," says Alexander Rosen, director of professional football at: "Our young team will be able to collect very valuable experience in cultural and social terms."

Trip Timetable
MAY 11: Frankfurt to New Delhi
MAY 12: Stopover New Delhi, flight to Calcutta
MAY 13: flight to Aizawl, friendly match in the evening ( 16:30 CET)
MAY 14: soccer camp in Aizawl, return flight to Calcutta, football camp in Kolkata
MAY 15: sightseeing, visiting an orphanage, flight to Goa
MAY 16: Goa Sightseeing
MAY 17: Training Camp in a football academy
MAY 19: Back to Frankfurt

Infos: Hoffenheim in Facebook, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Video: Hoffenheim in India (in German)