Dear German teacher,
Score with German is for you and for your current and future students.
You know that millions of Germans play soccer, and that millions follow the sport as avid fans. Life comes to a standstill when important matches are televised – and even third division games can take on quite a bit of “importance”… Germans as well as visitors from around the world will never forget the 2006 World Cup when Germany threw its biggest party ever. In other words, you know that Germany is a soccer-crazed country.
You may also know that soccer has become the most popular youth sport in the U.S. for girls and boys alike. There are professional leagues now for both men and women. The men’s national team hopes for a strong showing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The women’s team will be Germany’s top rival when the women’s World Cup will take place in Germany in the summer of 2011.
What you may not know is how to use the world’s fascination with the sport of soccer in your German classroom. You may not have grown up playing soccer. You may not have attended a single game. And now we want you “to teach soccer”?!? You know how to explain the accusative but “Abseitsfalle” and “Bananenflanken” are Greek to you. And what about all the students who don’t play soccer and who don’t follow the game? Will they not be completely bored when you start talking “Fußball”?
Don’t worry. Score with German does not try to turn you and your students into soccer aficionados (even though that may very well happen 
It’s not a language course full of esoteric terminology that only appeals to your varsity players and aspiring pros who hope to one day play in Germany’s Bundesliga. Instead, Score with German will introduce your students to a country where soccer is a big part of everyday culture. You’ll meet Bundesliga stars and young fans when we take you on a tour through soccer Germany. There will be video clips, podcasts as well as grammar and vocabulary exercises. Score with German will use the sport of soccer to make German and Germany come alive!
If you already work with soccer in the classroom, we’d love to hear from you. Let us know your ideas, send us your teaching materials – we’re happy to include them on our website. Soccer is a fast-moving sport, in many ways. Our goal is to keep the materials fresh and up-to-date, and to reach that goal we’ll need your input.
Now what happens if you really get hooked? If you notice that your students enjoy this innovative approach to teaching a foreign language, that they even visit this website outside of class, that they talk to their friends about Score with German? Consider this:
Why not host a German&Soccer summer camp for middle school students about to choose a foreign language at the high school level? We’ll be there every step of the way to make this camp a smashing success. We’ll help you promote the camp. We’ll provide you with our Score with German textbook. We’ll find you super motivated teachers/soccer coaches from Germany who have experience in teaching German through soccer. We may even help you pay for a share of the camp costs.
You and your students will be the ones to benefit. Spread the Score with German excitement in your community. Recruit new students who are thrilled to learn a new language in a new way. Build up your program! Contact us and we’ll let you know how we can help.
In the meantime, we hope you and your students get a big kick out of German&Soccer. Let us know what your experiences are and keep the ball rolling!
