Non-league football

The return of international football might have a lot of football fans feeling nationalistic, particularly German fans, but this weekend there are further reasons for the World Cup winning country to be proud of the sport. For the first time ever, amateur football in Germany will have a dedicated event in the hope of raising awareness of those forgotten footballers. Lokalrunde will take place this Sunday, October 12.

Any club outside of the top three divisions in Germany can take part. Amateur women's teams will also be involved. The Lokalrunde website has even set up an interactive map so that clubs can register their game online in the hope of attracting any nearby fans.

Although the organizers have labeled Lokalrunde more of an advert than an event, the day is designed to raise awareness and show appreciation for the amateur side of the world's beautiful game. This may be a first for Germany, but the idea comes from somewhere else in Europe.

James Doe founded the Non-League Day concept in the United Kingdom back in 2010 and it has grown ever since. The campaign has always tried to take place during an international break so as to offer domestic fans the chance to see a different side of football.

Roots in England

Doe released a statement - now on the Lokalrunde website - after hearing that German football was seizing on his idea: "It has been a hope of mine for some time that a similar event to Non-League Day would take place in Germany. With its great fan culture and rich tradition of amateur football it seemed an obvious place for it to succeed."

"I am really honored that Non-League Day has been an inspiration for Lokalrunde and I wish the organizers all the best for 12 October," he added.

Dirk Mederer is the man in charge of Lokalrunde in Germany. He works as a freelance graphic designer and is a fan of fourth division German side, Göttingen.

After creating the "Telly off, head to the stadium" campaign (Glotze aus, Stadion an! - GASA) in 2013, his initiative has been to recreate the Non-League Day idea in Germany. This weekend, with the help of those supporting the GASA campaign and Non-League Day itself, Mederer's dream will be realized.

Support is growing too. Fans are encouraged to vocalize their support on social media, as well as around their own towns by printing off banners of the games they plan on attending. A partner event is taking place in Switzerland across both days of this coming weekend, too.

In the face of unfathomable amounts of money, endless clichés and even more drama, it's easy to forget about the amateurs in the world's biggest sport. This weekend is hoping to change that, even if just for a day.

If you want to find out more about the Lokalrunde project, in German, click here.