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With less than one year to go until UEFA EURO 2024 kicks off in Germany, the official mascot of the tournament made its first appearance today surprising children at a primary school in Gelsenkirchen, before visiting the DFB elite school, Gesamtschule Berger Feld, and being introduced to the crowd ahead of Germany’s friendly match against Colombia at Arena AufSchalke tonight.
The mascot pays homage to the popular children’s teddy bear toy, said to have originated in Germany in the early 20th century.
Over the next two weeks, children in UEFA’s Football in Schools programme and fans can vote on UEFA.com to decide the mascot’s name. Taking inspiration from the German word for bear, “Bär,” the four choices are: Albärt, Bärnardo, Bärnheart, and Herzi von Bär.
The mascot, in addition to supporting initiatives and partnerships, aims to inspire children across Europe to get active while encouraging them to develop a love of football and its values.
The mascot will start its #MakeMoves journey in schools across Europe, challenging pupils to use their own physical activity to spark the mascot into life and make it move. The children will be able to create their own special football skills and celebrations and have them transformed into mascot animations for the tournament using cutting-edge motion capture technology.
The mascot will also lead an educational video series alongside European social media influencers, addressing topics such as training, nutrition and well-being. The content will be available across social media platforms, and supporting resources will be provided to schools, fostering cross-curricular teaching using the UEFA EURO 2024 story.
The campaign message will also be incorporated in an exciting collaboration with entertainment company Toikido’s upcoming ‘Pinata Smashlings’ world on Roblox. The mascot’s UEFA EURO 2024 Football Island within the game will be filled with challenges and quests requiring teamwork and problem solving.
Philipp Lahm, UEFA EURO 2024 tournament director and former German national team captain, said, ” “Football sparks an incredible power that promotes teamwork, perseverance and a healthy, active lifestyle, all while having fun. As a parent, I know how important it is to stimulate children’s imagination. With the launch of our tournament mascot, we hope to create a fun and likeable character that will inspire them to enjoy playing football.
Especially in today’s digital age, it is important to go where our youth spend a lot of their time and offer them added value. That is football, the motion and thrill of being on the pitch, the team spirit and cohesion in the team, as well as the joy of improving skills and developing creativity with the ball. This is what the UEFA EURO 2024 tournament mascot will encourage.”
Celia Šašić, UEFA EURO 2024 tournament ambassador and DFB vice president, added, “Football unites and creates a great sense of community. You can’t lay the foundations for motion, playfulness and team spirit early enough. It’s great to see UEFA inspiring the next generation to build self-confidence, live an active lifestyle and understand the importance team spirit – all important life lessons that will shape their future. This mascot will deliver that powerful message.”
The mascot will make appearances in the host cities over the next year, with the main campaign activity kicking off in early 2024.
The #MakeMoves campaign featuring the mascot will be visible throughout Germany and Europe in the lead-up to the 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship next summer.
