Event / sportovni-den

We Enjoyed Our Sports Day

Have you ever played curling in summer? And do you know what spikeball is? These were just some of the activities on offer at the Škoda Auto Sports Day, which the carmaker organised in Mladá Boleslav on 3 September for its employees, their families and the wider public.

The 2026 Škoda Auto Sports Day built on the traditional Regional Football Tournament, which the carmaker has organised for employee teams for 18 years now. "The tournament had matured, so we thought about how to take it to a new level," the presenters explained at the start of the event, describing how it had expanded at the Mladá Boleslav stadium.

I'm delighted that this year's sports day was truly created by employees for employees. The event showed the creativity, determination and team spirit that make Škoda Auto special.

Maren Gräf

Board Member for People & Culture

The event itself was opened by Board Member for People & Culture Maren Gräf together with the Mayor of Mladá Boleslav, Jiří Bouška. "Welcome to the sports day. We've done everything we can to make today a success. Enjoy it together," Maren Gräf said, welcoming the participants. The mayor, for his part, noted that the sports day is one of the many activities on which the carmaker and the city cooperate. "I'd like to thank them for that cooperation," he said.

We printed our own trophies

Even the trophies for the sports day winners were made directly at Škoda Auto. Several workplaces contributed to the result. Based on a tip from colleagues, Radek Bejdák was offered the chance to prepare their design for 3D printing. The prototype was created at the ProDigi Hub in the M18 Paint Shop, where employees can try out 3D printing and other modern technologies. The final trophies were printed with the help of Ladislav Hoffman from the 3D farm at the MB II Body Shop.

Radek Bejdák

SP/2 – Idea Management

I enjoy 3D printing technology, and when the chance came up to help make the trophies, I was happy to take it. It was a great opportunity to put into practice what I'm learning about 3D modelling. As part of ZEBRA, we support submitting ideas using 3D printing, for example recently employees could even compete to win a 3D printer.

Fun and physical activities

After a brief official opening, there was a group warm-up led by the popular Tomáš Prášek from the ŠkoFit sports team. The ten-minute warm-up was designed to make sure participants were properly loosened up ahead of the tournaments, to help prevent injuries. After that, matches began not only on the main football pitch but also in several other disciplines.

Before the contests began, Maren Gräf even tried her hand at frisbee, with an instructor showing her how to handle the disc correctly and get the right grip. She also personally took part in one of the teams in the human table football tournament. "Brilliant," she said with a smile after the match, a game that looks simple at first glance but actually demands surprising effort. "Hold, hold, come on… There are two of you on him… Let's fight for it…" shouted the participants from the pitch during a fierce battle for the ball. The ball boys also had plenty to do, as they certainly couldn't just stand by and watch the matches calmly.

There was plenty of fun at the dynamic spikeball court too. Although an official tournament was taking place there, the game also gave curious visitors the chance to try it out. "The mechanics of the game are similar to volleyball, so anyone who knows volleyball has an advantage," one of the instructors explained on site. Graffiti painting was anything but quiet either. Not only was there great interest in working with spray paint, but the participants' creativity also led to some unusual results, such as one instructor's protective overalls being decorated in shades reminiscent of the Škoda brand colours Emerald and Electric Green.

We collected points and helped out

The sports day wasn't just about these activities and enjoying free time together. The event also had an important volunteering and charitable dimension. Its organisation was handled by a team of employees (see the profiles), who took care of every detail, including baking the medals and making the trophies on 3D printers. There were more than fifty volunteers involved.

Visitors to the event could collect points for the activities and disciplines they took part in. The Škoda Auto Endowment Fund then converted these into a financial contribution for three selected charitable organisations. A total of 196,175 points were collected, and the endowment fund then increased the contribution to CZK 400,000. The event attracted more than 400 employees and their families in total, including four members of management – alongside Maren Gräf, these were Holger Peters, Interim CEO, Michael Kerschensteiner, Chief Procurement Officer responsible for Škoda Auto & Region East, and Johannes Neft, Chief Development Officer responsible for Škoda Auto.

Veronika Divišová

SE/2 – Competence Development and Management Programmes

I came up with and prepared the design for the whole event. I often work with graphics in my job and enjoy creating it. I'd wanted to be part of an event like this for a long time and to put my skills to use.

Naďa Kuhnová

PLL-A – Logistics Planning Abroad and Components

I signed up for baking medals thanks to a friend, building on my previous volunteering experience. I liked the idea of "a Škodian for a Škodian", an event that connects people and brings joy.

Kristýna Červinková

Škoda Auto Endowment Fund

Hosting was a great experience – you have to keep track of the whole event, maintain its pace, and react to changes that occur during the programme. My co-host, Michal Vlk from the PLT department, and I got on brilliantly.

Jakub France

PF2 – Car Production MB II

I've been involved in football for a long time, and I wanted to be part of this event in a slightly different way than as a sportsman. I helped out at the football tournament, where a great atmosphere prevailed throughout.

Ivana Kubíková

FI/1 – VWG IT Key Account Management

My interest in events, connecting people and helping others brought me to the event. Informal gatherings make sense, bring new energy, and show that great people are behind successful projects.

Adéla Grešulová

PLL-A/1 – Logistics Planning 

eMobility, Abroad

I like events that bring people joy and shared experiences. I see this as a great opportunity to meet colleagues outside of work and be part of something meaningful at the same time.

Visitors Enjoyed More Than Just Sport

In addition to tournaments in football, frisbee, spikeball and human table football, which participants had to sign up for in advance, many other activities awaited them, whether sporting or more relaxing. They could learn about the activities of a number of volunteer organisations or pick up advice about their health. The range of sporting activities included, for example, a "summer" variation of curling, where the stones move across the playing surface on steel balls. Other sporting activities available included slacklining, a basketball challenge, and a cycling tour of Mladá Boleslav.

Some associations and public-benefit organisations from the Employee Collections also presented themselves on site, offering, for example, handbike trainers to try out. Visitors could also check their blood pressure or body composition at the Škoda Auto Polyclinic stand.

Anyone wanting to relax could go and taste teas from around the world, or try their hand at graffiti on an installed wall. Virtual reality was also available in two different "flying" variations, and there was a wire loop challenge (the aim was to move a metal loop along a winding wire without touching it and triggering the buzzer). Visitors also enjoyed a viewing of the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 racing car, last year's project by Škoda Auto Vocational School students, and the Škoda L&K 130, which was shown to the public during, for example, the famous Tour de France.