The two have joined forces again, having worked together on a project in Athens and Istanbul over the last three seasons
The power of One Team grows further each year and even more so when a partner such as BKT is ready to help take things to the next level. On Friday afternoon, One Team and BKT collaborated once again to help refurbish a basketball court at Lisa-Tetzner Schule elementary school, with the aim of helping improve the lives of youngsters who are in need or at risk of exclusion.
Turkish Airlines EuroLeague club ALBA Berlin has been working with Lisa-Tetzner Schule for the last few seasons as it looks to provide support for socially disadvantaged children and young teenagers in a socio-economically challenging environment. With the Final Four coming to Berlin, One Team and BKT came together and decided to provide an improved space for locals to play.
“It’s a great pleasure to be here to inaugurate this great basketball court,” said Lucia Salmaso, Managing Director of BKT Europe. “When [One Team] decided to approach us regarding sponsorship, we could not believe the impact that this sponsorship can have on a community. I believe that BKT has demonstrated with actions these projects have a great meaning for us. This is the third project that we have created along with One Team, and it is proof that we can do better to support the growth of communities. I hope that this court will bring a lot of happiness, joy, growth and opportunity to all the kids, to all the students and to all the residents of this neighborhood.”
“I’m incredibly excited and proud that we have been able to open a third refurbished court thanks to our partnership with BKT,” added Abigail Martin, Director of Sustainability and Development Projects at Euroleague Basketball. “These are honestly the best days for me. I would like to give a big thank you to ALBA Berlin, to Lisa-Tetzner Schule elementary school, and to specially Lucia and the BKT team for helping to make all of this possible. These projects are one of the highlights of the Final Four, as the social work put in by many different people comes together and ends up with a lot of excited individuals, in this case children. We are so, so thankful for everyone’s efforts and we would love to have more of these community-committed projects in the future.”
During Friday’s event, the participants took part in some One Team drills and featured in an exhibition tournament that was held by ALBA’s One Team Coaches. Former ALBA center Patrick Femerling, who played for the club over three spells and won a EuroLeague title with FC Barcelona in 2003, was present at the event, as was four-year former EuroLeague guard Heiko Schaffartzik. They both joined in with the activities with the children and were delighted with the work done by One Team.
“It was a lot of fun because the kids had a lot of fun,” commented Heiko Schaffartzik. “The only reason why the kids could have fun is because the court exists. Without the court, the kids wouldn’t be able to have this experience. Patrick Femerling is here and the EuroLeague is here. Next week they will not be, but the court will still be here, so they can still have fun and play by themselves. They’re very enthusiastic kids here, they’re really competitive and they really enjoy playing basketball, so this is a fantastic thing for the community.”
This is the third straight year in which One Team and BKT have gone hand in hand to refurbish a court and help the community as a result, having improved the Kypseli court in Athens and given children there a new home where they can play basketball and have fun with friends. Also, in the 2021-22 season, the partnership between One Team and BKT saw the refurbishment of two courts at the TEB Atasehir Anatolian High School, the social partner of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul for that season.
In addition to giving back to Berlin by helping to take this basketball court to another level, One Team is also putting on a session featuring Final Four players at Kraftwerk on Saturday and Sunday, which will feature some of the biggest names at the Final Four, along with the participation of the Final Four Ambassadors.
Source: EuroLeague
