VolksbankPLUS-Cup in Stemwede – 44. international U19-Tournament

Football – Passion – Stemwede. For the 44th time, the international professional football youth will gather this month at Stemweder Berg. On May 24 and 25, 2025, the latest edition of the VolksbankPLUS Cup will take place at the TuS Stemwede sports grounds in Wehdem. Six U19 teams from professional clubs in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany will compete for the trophy.

From Belgium, the U19 squad of K.V. Mechelen will travel to Stemwede. In the group stage, the Belgians will face last year’s finalists SV Meppen, as well as the youth team from Energie Cottbus, which is participating in the traditional TuS Stemwede tournament for the very first time.
Another tournament debut comes from the U19s of Dutch first-division club Sparta Rotterdam. In the group stage, they will meet Danish club Aalborg BK, a regular tournament guest now making their fifth appearance in Stemwede – although their last participation was nine years ago. Group B is rounded out by the local favorite, the Mühlenkreis Team – a talent selection from the football districts of Lübbecke and Minden.

This year’s group draw was conducted by Kai Windhorst from Lebenshilfe Lübbecke – fittingly, since the 20th edition of the international U19 football tournament for players with disabilities will also take place at the same time as the VolksbankPLUS Cup 2025. For the long-time tournament assistant and supporter, it was a particularly special moment – just as it was for all the representatives of Lebenshilfe Lübbecke and the TuS Stemwede tournament team in attendance.

“We’re very pleased to have put together such an international field of participants for this year’s tournament and that we’re once again able to extend the schedule over two full tournament days,” says Tim Wehmeyer, the tournament’s sporting director. In addition to the football itself, there will be plenty of supporting events taking place in Wehdem during the tournament weekend.

Supporting Program Around the Football

The weekend’s activities will kick off on Friday with the E-Center Hartmann Penalty Shootout for local clubs and associations. Starting at 4:30 p.m., the sports ground in Wehdem will host a penalty shootout for children up to 14 years old. At 6 p.m., the adults will take their turn to demonstrate their skills from the spot. The evening will wrap up with the traditional opening party in the festival tent with music from the MUSIK-TEAM.

As always, a staple of the tournament weekend is the open-air tent service on the sports grounds – held just before the two U19 semi-finals on Sunday morning. The finals of both the VolksbankPLUS Cup and the International Lebenshilfe Cup will take place on Sunday afternoon. The full match schedule and more information about the participating teams can be found online at www.u19-stemwede.de.

“What makes me especially happy is that, even for the 44th edition of our tournament, we can continue to count on the support of our dedicated volunteer team and our many sponsors. It’s a fantastic team effort,” says Wolfgang Rosengarten from the tournament team.