Little Giants. Great Team Players.
A weekend all about: football, Thuringia, and team spirit. The Free State presents itself as a partner state of the DFB in Frankfurt.
As the first federal state, Thuringia is an official partner region of the German Football Association (DFB). This is an excellent opportunity for us, together with the Thuringian State Chancellery, to show: What Thuringia has to offer and what distinguishes this state beyond the green pitch. Around 6,000 football players, young and old, were able to experience this up close at the DFB Amateur Football Weekend in September in Frankfurt am Main.
Gnomes, gnomes, gnomes everywhere. And from Thuringia of all places? – Many a face showed surprise as they stormed our Thuringia stand at the edge of the pitch during a game break. And so our on-site team, along with the gnome eleven, turned into true Thuringia ambassadors, providing clarification and quite a few aha moments: because, of course, garden gnomes come from the heart of Germany, from Gräfenroda, a small town in the Thuringian Forest, to be precise. And of course, team spirit, performance, and the love of the beautiful game are just as important in Thuringia as they are for all those amateur footballers who take to the pitch every week in various leagues across Germany. Many of the amateurs were also able to see for themselves during their game breaks that Thuringia is a top prize in many other areas too, if you are looking for an excellent place to live, work, realize ideas, or play football. Thus, the connection between Thuringia and football is a bull's-eye; the partnership that Thuringia sealed as the first partner region with the DFB in 2025 confirms this.
Thuringia stands for dynamism, speed, and the will to succeed – just like the German Football Association. Our partnership is an expression of this shared attitude. We show: Those who want to achieve great things need a strong team spirit, reliable structures, and trust in their own strength. As the first partner state of the DFB, we want to contribute to German football returning to the top internationally – with Thuringian passion and genuine hospitality.
Initially, the partnership between the DFB and the state of Thuringia is a done deal until 2031. Numerous sporting and social activities as well as possible training camps for various German national teams are planned. How many more garden gnomes in football jerseys will take up their post as little great Thuringian ambassadors from Gräfenroda by then, we do not yet know exactly. What we can say with certainty, however, is: since the first September weekend, there are now 500 more little mascots with Thuringian gnome caps. Painted in the club colors of the little participants of the football weekend, they are a great souvenir that fits perfectly into any training bag. At the next home game, they will now remind people in many places throughout Germany of Thuringia – as the land of little gnomes and great team players.
Partnership for the state and football: Background.
With the joint motto “Moving forward together“, the DFB and the state of Thuringia have been emphasizing their ambition to combine performance with attitude since 2025. The partnership thus sends a strong signal for sport, for the people in the state, and for a Germany that stands together when it counts.
In 2024, Thuringia demonstrated professionalism and hospitality: From May 26 to 31, the DFB chose the town of Blankenhain for its official training camp for the German men's national football team. As LEG Thüringen , we are pleased that we were able to contribute with our expertise in urban and regional development as well as Trade Fairs and events, so that the German national team could prepare optimally for the 2024 European Championship. On behalf of the Thuringian Ministry of Economics, we were responsible for upgrading the sports and castle square in Blankenhain; during the training camp, the official DFB media center was housed in the castle. For us, this was already an excellent opportunity to showcase the many different facets of Thuringia as an attractive place to live and do business to more than 300 journalists and numerous international guests.
Impressions DFB Weekend of Amateur Football 2026
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