During the COVID-19 pandemic, the idea emerged to establish a high-class youth tournament in Chemnitz. The idea to name the tournament after Noah Berge, a former Niners player, came from Sascha Prötzig, Noah's former coach.
After a brief consultation with Noah's mother, Claudia Berge, the 1st Noah-Berge-Cup was held on July 1 and 2, 2023, in the Richard-Hartmann-Halle. Around 150 children from the U11 and U12 age groups played in Chemnitz that weekend. The emotional highlight was the moving speech by Claudia Berge on Saturday evening, attended by Noah’s two former coaches, Sascha Prötzig and Dominik Braun.
Following the successful inaugural tournament, the 2nd Noah-Berge-Cup took place in 2024. On May 25 and 26, another 150 children - including participants from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia - gathered in the Richard-Hartmann-Halle to enjoy a wonderful weekend of basketball and establish European connections.
The emotional highlight this time was Noah's father, who traveled all the way from Zanzibar for the event.
Due to the highly positive feedback from participating clubs, the 3rd Noah-Berge-Cup will be slightly larger than the previous two tournaments. In 2025, Chemnitz will be the European Capital of Culture, and accordingly, this year’s cup aims to be as European as possible. A total of 32 teams from seven European countries will compete from May 23 to 25, 2025, in three different locations across Chemnitz.
Children from Belgium, the Czech Republic, England, France, Slovenia, Spain, and Germany will hopefully experience unforgettable moments, forge lifelong connections, and embrace the spirit of the European Capital of Culture 2025.
We are very much looking forward to this tournament and hope for a cosmopolitan European basketball festival of unity, freedom, peace, friendship, and solidarity.
