Around a month after the regular meeting of the Presidents and General Secretaries, the “Teamsport Germany” interest group has now come together at an operational level for the first time. The initiative of the team sports football, handball, basketball, ice hockey and volleyball invited people to a workshop at the SportCentrum Kamen Kaiserau in the middle of the week in order to create a basis for networking in the areas of media and organization. The first priority for the association employees was to exchange experiences.
In the media workshop led by DHB press spokesman Tim Oliver Kalle, strategies, working methods and framework conditions for media work in the associations were compared and discussed. This involved standardized communication processes relating to the national teams and the use of social media as well as special topics such as event PR, crisis communication and the structure of reporting in the youth sector. “The workshop was very enriching. We have created the basis for a strong network and will use the opportunities for team sports in Germany at an operational level. We are grateful to have football at our side as a partner,” emphasized Kalle, who initiated the two-day workshop together with Georg Behlau from the DFB.
The organization working group was led by Behlau, who, as head of the national team office, was able to provide enriching insights into the work of the DFB. In addition to the general team management processes such as travel logistics, equipment and financing, dealing with stars, contact with athletes in the off-season, identification campaigns and load management in the young talent area were also discussed. “It was an exciting and interesting exchange of experiences. Despite the sometimes very different requirements, the topics and problems in the sports are often very similar. I was able to take a lot of suggestions from my colleagues and would be very happy about continuing the communication process that has been initiated,” says Behlau, emphasizing the added value of this network.
In order to further promote the transfer of knowledge between the five associations, the media and organization work areas want to offer workshops twice a year in the future. The DHB and DFB have also extended invitations to a practical insight into the work at the upcoming international matches.