Sonneberg Teams Kick for Unity

The winners: PS Print Service. The following places went to Heinz Glas, the Sonneberg District Administration, the Rotheul Volunteer Fire Department, Klinikum Sonneberg-Neuhaus, and Wohnungsbau Sonneberg. Photo: Steffen Breitung

The Medinos Clinics of the district invited teams on Friday to the Medinos Cup, a new company indoor football tournament intended as a symbol of renewal, community, and regional solidarity.

Held for the first time, the “Medinos Football Cup” attracted numerous spectators to the SBBS sports hall and developed into a lively sporting event. Doors opened at 4:00 p.m., followed by a welcome address from Steffen Breitung, chairman of SV Isolator Neuhaus-Schierschnitz. He emphasized the success of the close cooperation between the football club and the clinics. Speeches followed from Medinos Managing Director Rene Klinger, who highlighted the determination to bring the Medinos name back into a positive public light after a difficult period and to build a sense of community, as well as from Andreas Groß, First Deputy District Administrator of the Sonneberg district.

The tournament kicked off at 5:00 p.m. with the match between Medinos Clinics and PS Print Service. A total of six teams from the district competed against one another: Medinos Clinics, PS Print Service, Heinz Glas, Wohnungsbau Sonneberg, the Rotheul Volunteer Fire Department, and the Sonneberg District Administration. The tournament was played in a round-robin format (“everyone plays everyone”), with each match lasting twelve minutes. A special fair-play rule applied: each team had to have at least one female player on the field at all times—an expression of equality and sporting diversity.

The event was hosted by experienced indoor announcer and DJ Steffen Haupt, known as “DJ-Blaulicht.” Haupt, who is also chairman of the football club SC 06 Oberlind, emphasized the importance of the tournament for the Medinos Clinics: “After the difficulties of the past, this is exactly the right signal. It’s about fun, fair play, and togetherness that goes beyond the workplace.”

After around four hours of play, PS Print Service from Neuhaus-Schierschnitz emerged as the overall winner.

The event was organized by Medinos employees George Beuchel and Adrian Enke. Beuchel, chairman of the works council, explained that the tournament had been planned for some time but could only be realized with Managing Director Rene Klinger. “We want to bring Sonneberg companies together and strengthen exchange. The traveling trophy is intended to be contested annually—perhaps even twice a year,” said Beuchel. The second edition is planned for the summer and would be held outdoors on a football pitch rather than in a hall.