Press Release

Braunschweig, June 2, 2025. A current world champion and national team captain will be sitting on the jury of one of largest programs to sponsor and promote young, up-and-coming sports talents in Lower Saxony: basketball star Dennis Schröder, who plays in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons, will help select the talents to be supported by Volkswagen Financial Services (VW FS) starting this summer. The application phase for what is already the fourth round of the successful funding program for young sporting talent starts on June 1, 2025. It will close around two and a half months later on August 15. Applications can be submitted via sporttalente.vwfs.com.

Individual athletes can receive financial support of up to EUR 25,000 each from the Volkswagen Group's Braunschweig-based financial and mobility services provider. For teams, the maximum funding amount is EUR 50,000 each per year. Joining Schröder on the seven-member selection panel are other notable and experienced athletes, including the former goalkeeper in Germany's women's national football team and television expert Almuth Schult, the four-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time world champion in rowing Kathrin Boron, and Manfred Kehm, Team Leader for Competitive Sports Promotion at the Lower Saxony Sports Association (LSB).

"As someone coming from Braunschweig, I'm proud to be part of this important program to sponsor young athletes for the first time this year – a program that originated right here in Braunschweig at Volkswagen Financial Services," said Dennis Schröder. He added: "I'm already looking forward to seeing many exciting applications from Lower Saxony." 

Now 31 years old, Schröder was discovered as an eleven-year-old playing basketball on an outdoor court in Braunschweig's Prinzenpark. He later made his breakthrough with Braunschweig's Bundesliga basketball team and, in 2013, moved to the best professional league in the world—the NBA (National Basketball Association) in North America. "I know exactly how important it is for young athletes to receive financial support – especially during the time when it is being decided whether they can make it to the very top or not," Schröder recalled. "That's why I'm especially looking forward to working on the Volkswagen Financial Services sports jury."

Almuth Schult stressed how delighted she is to be involved: "It's a great pleasure to be part of this important project. With their support, Volkswagen Financial Services are focusing precisely on the crucial factors that can later determine whether talented individuals become medal winners – and it's all done regardless of the specific sport. I hope that many young athletes will have the courage to apply and I'm eager to see the range of sports and talents presented." 

Currently, 30 athletes from all over Lower Saxony between the ages of 13 and 24 are benefiting from the support provided by VW FS. The variety of sports represented is wide: primarily track and field athletes, but also young sportsmen and women from gymnastics, swimming, judo, bouldering, artistic roller skating, ice hockey, golf, tennis, badminton, basketball, sport climbing, and wheelchair basketball. 

Among the beneficiaries are two talented athletes from Wolfsburg, Laura Burbulla and Phil Grolla, who even competed at the Paralympic Games in Paris last summer. As VW FS Management Board Member Frank Fiedler pointed out, "This alone shows that we are on the right track with our long-term youth development program." He has served on the jury since the program's launch three years ago. Fiedler stressed: "We at Volkswagen Financial Services have been known for decades for our strong social commitment and as sponsors of cultural events, social causes, and sports. We are pleased and delighted to be able to support up-and-coming young athletes from Lower Saxony through our extensive program to sponsor and promote young sporting talent, even in what are economically challenging times."

Program background: Volkswagen Financial Services expanded their sports sponsorship in 2022 and have since been supporting individual athletes and teams from Lower Saxony as part of a major young talent development program. Young men and women between the ages of 13 and 24 are eligible to participate. The program also embraces talented young athletes with physical disabilities. Recognized expenses for funding purposes include costs for trainers and coaching fees, training camps, competitions, travel costs, equipment, and sportswear. A jury of experts decides on the amount and duration of the funding. All details are on the website sporttalente.vwfs.com.

Volkswagen Financial Services AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG and, as part of Volkswagen Group Mobility, manages the European financial and mobility services business. The aim of Volkswagen Financial Services AG is to support the sales of the Volkswagen Group brands and increase customer loyalty. The company is a longstanding partner of the dealership network – as a provider of financial services and as an aide and advisor. Its core products include vehicle leasing and financing, insurance, and other vehicle-related mobility products – both for private customers and for individual commercial customers and fleet customers. Through its subsidiary, Volkswagen Bank GmbH, Volkswagen Financial Services AG is also active in the direct banking sector.
More information available at www.vwfs.com.