Mini Champions League is an annual event organized by the Slovak Football Association. The very best Slovak youth football teams (boys and girls) face off for the grand prize.
At STL SOLUTIONS, we are big fans. As such, we immediately reached out to the association if we could help in any way. Here’s where MultiBall steps in.
MultiBall is an amazing tool for both football events and football training. During this year’s Mini Champions League, it served as an amazing way for the kids to:
1. Have an additional fun competition
2. Warm up before their games
3. Have fun even when they weren’t on the field
4. Unwind after their games
But don’t just take our word for it! We interviewed some of the amazing men behind this organization and the event, and this is what they had to say…
Roman Halačka, CEO of SFZ Marketing
What role has sport played in your life?
Sport has been an integral part of my life since I was a child.It has kept me healthy, brought me lots of cool experiences and contacts, helped me overcome my limits, taught me discipline and humility, gave me mental strength and resilience. I also can’t forget that sport currently makes up my work and my hobbies.
How would you rate Mini Champions League 2021? Which team did you root for?
Since we couldn’t hold the event last year due to the pandemic, we were all the more excited for this year’s event. I can safely say that it turned out excellent. What’s more, we got to incorporate MultiBall into it for the very first time, which added another level of competition and fun.
Given my position, I try to be impartial. I just root for good football and good fun. In that sense, I won, as I’ve seen a lot of talent among the young players this year.
What are your thoughts on the connection of technology and sports?
Sport is no longer just about your performance on the field or natural talent. Technology is a big contributor to the success of and in sports. Think: new training tools, performance metrics, strategy setting & competitor analysis. I would say that sports are very good at reacting to technological advances and employing new technologies.
What did you think about MultiBall (either as an event tool or football training tool)?
I see MultiBall as a great combination of technology, sports, and entertainment. Young people are used to using various technologies. What sets MultiBall apart is that it helps build a relationship with physical activity and sport unlike many other products of digitalisation.
MultiBall is multifunctional: on one hand, it is a tool for football training that hones cognitive functions, accuracy, precision, and sharp-shooting; on the other hand, it is also a great tool for simple entertainment and fun.
Do you see potential in the partnership between the Slovak Football Association and MultiBall?
I see cooperation between the Slovak Football Association and MultiBall predominantly in two areas. First, MultiBall is a great addition to training for young athletes as a complementary form of developing various football skills. Given the wide possibilities of programming training modules, the ways in which MultiBall can be used in training are endless, and they can be easily adapted to the specific needs of coaches and their clubs. Second, MultiBall is a great addition to our events in Fanzones or Grassroot activities. In addition, I see MultiBall as a great way to promote our partners.
Vladimír Lupták, Grassroots Football Coordinator
What role has sport played in your life?
Since I was very little, sports have brought me a lot of fun, exercise, friends, emotions, travel, cool experiences and opportunities.
How can football help young people besides, of course, the physical benefits?
Football is a team sport that gives kids joy, socialization and social skills, team-spirit, and self-realization from a young age.
What do you enjoy most about your work with the Slovak Football Association?
I am a former football player and coach, so I am really happy to get to work within the football industry still. I get especially excited when seeing the developments in football.
What goals do you have for Grassroots football in the near and distant future?
One of the goals of our youth department at the SFZ is to work on increasing the membership base of the SFZ. To do so, we are working on development projects for our youngest football players in kindergarten, to primary school, youth football and amateur adult football players.
The motto of our Grassroots program is “football is a game for everyone, regardless of age, gender, religion or social status.” Thus, I want to continue developing and promoting football for people with intellectual disabilities, the deaf, the blind, and kids from foster homes and child care services.
Would you say that kids have a different relationship with sports now than they used to?
Not at all. I see the biggest difference in the approach of adults, who no longer find the time to give their kids space to develop the love for, relationship with, and self-realization in sports. However, when we created such a space for kids (at least regarding football activities), we saw the same enthusiasm for sports that we had as kids. Kids naturally love movement, sports, and play. The important things it to help them create a lasting relationship with sports from a young age.
Do you see potential in the partnership between the Slovak Football Association and MultiBall?
We can imagine MultiBall as a fun addition to our grassroots events, whereas there are always between 80 and 200 kids there looking for something interesting to do. We also see MultiBall as a great addition to the training process, for example in individual training.
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Our aim is to help football clubs and institutions worldwide with fan engagement; event marketing; sponsor activations; KPIs like brand awareness, lead generation, and new user activations... even innovation of football training!
Matus Horak
Founder and Managing Partner
at STL SOLUTIONS
Want to find out more about MultiBall? Check out MultiBall Events & MultiBall Football!
