Status: 11/10/2022 11:54
The decline in membership caused by the pandemic has stopped, at least for the moment: after the loss of nearly 800,000 club members in 2020, things have gone uphill again for the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) in the second year of Corona. . But the energy crisis continues to cause concern.
The DOSB recorded an increase of 0.17 percent (46,672 people). This is the result of the ongoing investigation. A total of 27 million members are organized in the DOSB. “The current numbers are encouraging. In particular, the fact that the numbers are constantly increasing for our youngest children – children up to six years old – is extremely valuable,” said Michaela Röhrbein, head of sports development on the board of DOSB administration: “But if we want to. If this trend continues or at most even increases and goes beyond all age groups and genders, then we must now continue to strengthen sports clubs.”
Röhrbein underlines the challenges of the energy crisis, in which sport and politics “must do everything to absorb the additional load on the ground and make sure that sport survives the winter well”. When people are in front of closed sports facilities and swimming pools, “the positive trend will reverse very quickly,” Röhrbein warns.
Rawe: the energy crisis is a greater threat than Corona
Reinhard Rawe, CEO of the Lower Saxony State Sports Association, sees a rise in energy prices an existential threat to sports clubs. “I strongly believe that the energy crisis poses a greater threat to clubs than the Crown crisis,” said Rawe. “A few weeks ago we had a video link to nearly 30 major clubs. And each of these clubs indicated six-figure amounts they had to incur in additional costs due to energy price increases. If you add up the numbers, you are already with these few clubs millions of sums “.
If we bring sports clubs into a closed situation for the third time, the socio-political damage, especially as regards children and young people, is immeasurable “.
Reinhard Rawe
Registration numbers of registered clubs are reaching a low level
In any case, despite the steady decline in members, a negative trend continued in 2021: since 2014 the membership numbers of registered clubs have decreased and have reached a minimum of 86,895. DOSB announced that smaller volunteer-run clubs were likely to be affected.
According to the umbrella organization, tennis, hockey and golf are among the winners of the sports organized in the DOSB. Despite the two-year pandemic, the associations have seen an increase in membership. Dance, taekwondo and speed skating, on the other hand, recorded significant losses. Among others, the German Football Association (DFB) and the German Football Association (DBB) were able to offset the losses in the first year of the 2021 pandemic.
“There is still a lot to do”
The “ReStart” program funded by the Federal Ministry of the Interior with 25 million euros aims to strengthen clubs and get society back “on the move”. “Although the decline in enrollment in organized sport was initially halted overall, much effort still needs to be made to get back to the pre-pandemic level and to strengthen the sport,” the DOSB statement said.
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