Claudio Pizarro and Marcelinho open Bundesliga Common Ground Berlin

16 September 2025 – The opening of Common Ground Berlin took place last weekend under blue skies as Bundesliga Legend Claudio Pizarro and former Hertha BSC player and Brazil international Marcelinho mingled with the crowds at a community launch event.

The Bundesliga stars recalled the start of their football journeys in interviews at the renovated facility in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district to local media RBB and Tagesspiegel, plus global news agencies, including Agence France Press, Xinhua and football website Soccernet.

“It would have been amazing to have had the chance to play football on something like this when I was a kid,” said Pizarro, who played for FC Bayern München, 1. FC Köln, SV Werder Bremen and Peru during his illustrious career.

“I played on the streets a lot in Lima – we had to wait until the cars passed – but it was fun. Projects like this are very important for children. If they don’t have the chance to play for a club, they can just come here and play with friends.”

The colourful opening event in partnership with EA SPORTS and as part of the EA SPORTS FC FUTURES gave guests young and old the chance to try their hand in DFL Foundation Arena Of Skills including bouldering, basketball, blind football, wheelchair table tennis and teqball, with VIP tickets for a Hertha Berlin home game among the prizes.

Content creators captured content around the challenges and shoot footage with the legends. A local artist showed guests how to spray paint a graffiti wall, while a barber was on-hand to provide free haircuts. There was also a Topps photobooth where guests could make their own football cards, while Derbystar were on show across the day with Official Match Balls and mini-balls given to the hundreds of young people who came from across Berlin to be part of the event.

Marcelinho, who played for Hertha BSC and VfL Wolfsburg in Germany, joined in by playing with a local youth team and content creators in an exhibition game to showcase the Bundesliga-branded playing surface. A brief downpour during the games didn’t dampen the buzz.

The event officially opened the new facility in the heart of Berlin, where local social organisations will host football coaching sessions, alongside workshops on life skills.

The program is based on a joint EA and Bundesliga playbook that promotes both athletic and personal development.

Bundesliga Common Ground takes football directly back to the communities, by renovating and reviving football pitches around the world. The programme promotes young talent around the world, strengthens cohesion among fans by creating new opportunities to play and connect through “Football As It’s Meant To Be”.

The aim is to create a safe space where people can come together, exchange ideas and enjoy football in its most authentic form on football pitches at the centre of local neighbourhoods. This year eight-week training camps have already been held in Brazil, Nigeria and Indonesia for young players from local communities. Alongside football skills, the focus is also on fair play, respect and creativity.