Realizing dreams

Thousands of girls dream of becoming football players. With our initiative “Turning dreams into opportunities”, we are helping to make this dream a reality. To coincide with the European Championship being hosted on home soil, we are committed to promoting and inspiring talented young players throughout Switzerland.

But the message doesn’t just apply to football; it’s aimed at everyone who believes in themselves, wants to develop further and is passionate about pursuing their goals. As the bank for Switzerland and as a committed promoter of young talent, we also support people in a variety of other areas too – for example, as one of the largest employers in Switzerland, with the Women’s Wealth Academy, through which we specifically support women by providing financial knowledge, or as the presenting partner of SwissSkills, where we support talented young people in a professional setting. In addition, we are committed to athletics through various initiatives and projects for children and young people.

Our goal is always to recognize potential and create perspectives.

Turning dreams into opportunities

Lia Wälti

Lia Wälti

Even as a little girl, Lia Wälti loved the special feeling that football gave her: just going out, playing, forgetting everyday life – and being part of a team. She was captivated by the pure joy of playing from the very start and this feeling has never left her, even now.
She’d like to give talented young footballers the following advice: “Trust your path – even if it’s sometimes bumpy. Not every setback is a step backwards. It’s often during the difficult moments when you grow the most”.

Lia Wälti

Alayah Pilgrim

Alayah Pilgrim

For Alayah Pilgrim, young players demonstrate their potential though strong technique, speed on the ball and game intelligence. As a child, she was mainly motivated by the joy of scoring goals and the respect of her classmates.
Alayah benefited from our young talent development program at an early stage: she was discovered by a scout at the school football championship – the UBS Football Cup. Nowadays she volunteers as an ambassador and shares her experiences with talented young players.

Alayah Pilgrim

Naomi Luyet

Naomi Luyet

Even at a young age, Naomi Luyet played football with her brother in the garden as often as possible. These first games together sparked her passion for football – and marked the starting point for her own career.
What began as a game back then has shaped her to this day. A big dream came true this season: winning the Swiss championship title.

Naomi Luyet

Noemi Ivelj

Noemi Ivelj

For Noemi Ivelj, being passionate about sports is a key factor in reaching the top. She is well on the way to realizing her dream of being a professional footballer. She would like to share some advice that helped her on her journey with other talented players: “Be brave, play with freedom – and enjoy what you do”.

Noemi Ivelj

Sydney Schertenleib

Sydney Schertenleib

Sydney Schertenleib is a top player but it’s not just thanks to her football skills such as dribbling, shooting technique and her understanding of the game. There are other crucial aspects like the way she overcomes setbacks, her disciplined approach and her courage. In her opinion, anyone who has all these qualities has the potential to reach the top.
Even as a little girl, Sydney dreamed of becoming a professional football player – and she has made this dream come true: she plays for FC Barcelona.

Sydney Schertenleib
Swiss Football Association in partnership with UBS logo

A long-standing partnership

UBS has been a long-standing main partner of the Swiss Football Association (SFA), supporting all youth and senior national teams in men’s and women’s football, the beach soccer national team, the eFootball national team and the promotion of young talent in Switzerland.

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    years
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    World Cup appearances (A-teams)
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    European Championship (A-teams)
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    annual children's football tournaments

Since the beginning of our partnership in 1993, a central goal has been to lay the foundation for long-term success by promoting youth development. Half of our financial commitment is specifically invested in youth programs to create the best possible conditions for future achievements.

Children’s and grassroots football are key components of our partnership, which also includes the official Swiss School Football Championship. In line with UBS’s commitment to supporting athletes of all genders equally, both the women’s and men’s teams of the Swiss Football Association receive equal bonuses.

Promoting young talent in football

Children’s and grassroots football are an integral part of our partnership with the Swiss Football Association, which includes the official Swiss School Football Championship and Football Festivals. Laying the foundation for future success by promoting young talent and creating the best possible conditions for long-term success has been a central element of the partnership since the beginning of the cooperation in 1993. This is reflected in the fact that half the financial commitment goes to the promotion of young talent.

UBS Football for Girls

UBS Football for Girls

With UBS Football for Girls, UBS is further expanding its commitment to the existing "Doppelpass" and "UEFA Playmakers" projects with additional events and financial support. These event formats offer girls throughout Switzerland the opportunity to gain their first football experience and are intended to provide additional impetus for the promotion of girls. UBS is thus making an important contribution to the implementation of the SFA Legacy and creating sustainable structures for the promotion of girls and women in Swiss football.

A new, central element of the project is the Kickstart toolbox, which was developed together with the SFA. This toolbox offers valuable support for schools and clubs to make it easier to get into football. It contains practical tips and tricks, exercise booklets with 25 exercises, themed cards with theoretical content and practical tips, as well as posters and stickers to get girls excited.

Find out more (DE)
UBS Football for Girls logo

UBS Football Cup

UBS Football Cup

The UBS Football Cup, which is also the largest school football tournament in Switzerland with 68,000 participants every year, promotes the full breadth of young football talent in Switzerland. Throughout the country, children and adolescents aged 10 to 16 in more than 7,500 teams compete in the canton-level preliminary rounds for a slot in the finals. The national final is then held in Basel in June. The approximately 3,000 finalists battle it out for the championship title under the watchful eye of some famous Swiss footballers.

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UBS Football Cup logo

UBS Football Festival

UBS Football Festival

As a further means of promoting grassroots football, UBS sponsors the UBS Football Festival, giving even the youngest players an unforgettable football experience. Every year, 20 UBS Football Festivals are held for over 5,800 registered players between the ages of five and ten, with a focus on one thing: fun with football both on and off the pitch. The UBS Football Festival provides an attractive tournament program with competitions, ensuring that junior players can enjoy an unforgettable football experience with their friends and family.

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UBS Football Festival logo

UBS Football Skills

UBS Football Skills

UBS Football Skills by SFV is the platform for the Swiss football community. The players receive points for their football skills, are rewarded for special achievements and their commitment to the club and test their football knowledge in a quiz. The points collected count for individual and club rankings and can be exchanged for prizes in the shop. The web app combines the appeal of the digital world with the irreplaceable fun of being on the pitch. It's not just skill with the ball that counts, but also values such as fair play, commitment to the club and team spirit.

Find out more (DE)
UBS Football Skills logo