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A contribution by Louisa Albert for the project “What’s going on there?!” by students at h_da
Sports clubs offer young people in rural areas important leisure activities. But they are struggling with challenges such as declining membership and demographic change. A conversation with two scientists and a young footballer.
Eleven men, arms around each other's shoulders, heads together. A shout, a whistle. It's Sunday afternoon, and nestled between fields and woods, the SKG Nieder-Beerbach men's football team is playing FTG Pfungstadt II in their home village. On the sidelines, spectators are wiping the first beads of sweat from their brows, while on the pitch, an attack on goal is already underway. It goes wide. But there's still applause. "Every week it's the same story: showing up for a football match," says Jannis Feuser. The 22-year-old has been playing as a full-back for SKG for several years. He grew up here in Nieder-Beerbach. With about 1,800 inhabitants, the village belongs to the municipality of Mühltal. It takes a good 20 minutes to get to Darmstadt – by car, of course. "Nobody comes here by public transport, I can assure you," says Jannis, laughing.
He now lives in Darmstadt. The fact that he still makes the trip to his home village every week for training and matches is remarkable. Many clubs in rural areas are suffering from the demographic shift affecting society. Better infrastructure, university studies, or vocational training are drawing young people to the cities. What remains are gaps; not only in the rural job market, but also in cultural and sports clubs.
What remains when everyone leaves?
This poses a problem for the children and young people who come after. Sports clubs, in particular, often represent the only leisure activity available outside of school. They offer spaces for exercise and competition, foster a sense of community, and thus contribute to a feeling of rootedness in one's hometown. "When these social structures weaken in rural areas, for example, because settlements are now only inhabited by commuters or the community shrinks, then identification with the community can no longer be fostered, leading to a kind of uprooting," says Lutz Thieme in an interview. The sports scientist works as a professor at the University of Koblenz and has been researching sports clubs for many years.
To keep these communities alive, it's essential to have young people who stay in their villages after finishing school or return after completing their vocational training. "Existing local structures play a crucial role here," Thieme emphasizes. Even if friends still live in their home village, young people are more likely to move back from the cities. Therefore, the village sports club is far more important than the 20th sports club in a small town or the 100th in a larger city. "Precisely because they are the last of their kind. It's like a red list of endangered species. You could also call it biodiversity – social diversity."
For Janis, too, the social network in his hometown plays a big role.
“I chose the club back then because my old friends played there.” A coach approached him and other young people from the village. The club was lacking in young players. Janis and almost everyone else agreed to transfer to their hometown club. “Most of them are still playing there. These are guys who previously played four leagues above. They basically dropped down for the club,” Janis explains, adding proudly, “Last year we got promoted.” This sense of community is what keeps Janis at his club. “I could take the easy way out and say, ‘I’m going to the gym now, and I don’t have to stick to training times.’ But this feeling of being part of a team and being needed, that’s really cool.”
Sports clubs must move with the times
Is belonging the magic ingredient for the success of clubs? Lutz Thieme explains that voluntary engagement is always intrinsically motivated. “People volunteer because they find fulfillment and meaning in it. This isn't significantly different for young people than for older people.” However, there is one difference: “Young people's willingness to commit to long-term positions has declined. Sports clubs need to ensure they offer young people opportunities to get involved beyond elected office.”
Swiss sports sociologist Siegfried Nagel also emphasizes the need to embrace new approaches, especially when it comes to attracting new members to clubs. "Openness and a welcoming culture are crucial," he stresses in an interview. Janis can confirm the value of this approach, explaining: "If you didn't grow up playing club sports, it can quickly feel alien. Finding your place in a new team is incredibly difficult, especially if you don't know anyone."
To facilitate this transition, the time before and after training can also be used, says Nagel. “A welcoming culture is possible and exists when there are other activities in the club beyond the 90-minute sports session. Social gatherings where people can exchange ideas, combined with good drinks and tasty food.” Generally, it is important to let go of rigid ideas and not always demand complete adaptation, the sports sociologist emphasizes. At the same time, the existing structures in clubs can also be used positively. They can promote routines and structure in everyday life and also support language learning. “People who didn't grow up in the country confirm that sports clubs, in particular, offer an opportunity to acquire everyday language through regular social contact,” Nagel explains. “This allows for a give and take.”
The collective comes first
Sports clubs offer a give and take across social boundaries simply through the composition of their teams. “Our youngest players are 18, the oldest is 51,” says Janis. “Plus, you have people on the team who have already gone to university, others who are still in vocational training. So you have a lot of different personalities. You rarely find that in everyday life.” Of course, club life isn't always free of disagreements or cliques, but these become secondary during the game itself. “On the pitch, you pass to the person who is closest and best positioned. It doesn't matter if that's your best friend or someone you don't get along with so well.” Janis says this sense of community has greatly influenced him. “At school, you write papers and take tests. It's about how well you perform. It's different in a team; it's always about the collective.”
Preserving this collective spirit is the challenge of our time. Politics can also intervene and provide support, for example, through targeted funding measures. But how effective is this top-down support? "For political funding measures to be effective, they must be compatible with the local context," says sports sociologist Nagel, citing integration support as an example. "Especially in rural areas, I observe that sports clubs are primarily institutions where people come together to exercise regularly. Integration is, at best, a side effect or secondary goal." Nagel concludes that it is important to understand the logic of the clubs. "Such programs should be developed jointly with the clubs. Or, alternatively, they should be designed in such a way that a club can define them to some extent for itself and doesn't have to struggle with a mountain of administrative hurdles and regulations."
Confidence in the future
In the best-case scenario, both parties can ultimately benefit. Just as sports clubs depend on political funding, politicians need these spaces for participation and engagement. And even though keywords like "Corona" or "club closures" often paint a negative picture of club culture, these places certainly have a future, sports scientist Lutz Thieme is convinced. "I have great confidence in sports clubs, even in rural areas. Sports clubs have survived world wars and dictatorships and have always adapted to societal changes. They are good at motivating people to contribute energy, time, and effort, and thus constantly reinventing themselves."
Janis's club is a good example of this. The fact that he and his teammates transferred back to Nieder-Beerbach from other clubs specifically to keep SKG alive contradicts the image of the individualistic Generation Z. When asked what it takes to get young people excited about club sports, Janis's answer is clear: "I think people need to come to a training session and see what it's like. If you enjoy regularly seeing a group of people, cracking jokes, and experiencing a bit of competition, then this is the place for you."
This article was created as part of the "Was da los" project – a student-run newsroom run by students of the Online Journalism program at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (h_da). DA.news supports the project and publishes selected articles on its platform. Further information and articles can be found here and at: www.was-da-los.de
