Joint press release from the five largest team sports associations and professional leagues from basketball, ice hockey, football (3rd league men, 1st league women), handball and volleyball
Join forces and work together to overcome the corona crisis: On Thursday, October 22, 2020, the five major team sports associations and the above-mentioned professional leagues formed one for the first time joint video conference met and clear targets agreed.
The first common topic was one Interim evaluation of the “Corona Aid for Professional Sports” or the equity regulations of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
Team sports continues to expressly welcome the aid package for sport approved by the Budget Committee and the Federal Government and makes it clear that the 200 million euros made available are urgently needed. The situation for team sports is getting worse in the current situation and - as is currently foreseeable - over the winter, so that any help, especially for clubs that depend on spectator income, necessary for survival is. The clubs across all sports and leagues are preparing or have already submitted applications. However, there is there are still content-related and administrative hurdles, which after an initial evaluation make it impossible to submit an application or make approval seem uncertain. The leagues in particular are looking forward to the weeks after the end of the application period on October 31, 2020 to see to what extent funds will flow. Thank you at the same time the team sports to the Federal Office of Administration for the very quick and helpful processing of the applications so far.
Nevertheless, team sports appeal to politicians to ensure that the resources made available can be utilized. This also includes the Urgent suggestion to continue the program in 2021 and to bring this into the budget discussions in the Bundestag. At the same time, team sports ask for attention to the adapted ones EU small aid regulations from October 13, 2020 and to examine whether these could positively supplement the aid package in the future.
Become together the team sports in November - after the end of the application period - carry out an analysis of how many clubs have specifically applied for aids and what obstacles and hurdles may have existed when submitting the application or being approved. On this basis, it will be examined whether there could be additional standards for an aid package from a sports perspective, and the results will be made available to politicians.
The second topic that was evaluated was the currently applicable travel regulations. In principle, the model quarantine regulation passed on October 14, 2020 is expressly welcomed. The exceptions for sport contained therein are a crucial factor in making national and international competition possible. The team sports would therefore like to state their understanding that all European club competitions are also included under “international sporting events” and that the regulation should also be explicitly extended to include people who take part in the games of the respective 1st and 2nd federal leagues. Furthermore, it is necessary Travel regulations from all perspectives relevant to sports operations to consider and find applicable solutions. In addition to entry, this also includes the return journey of teams, but also of individual athletes who were traveling abroad for their respective national teams. Finally, team sports advocate Uniform regulations for match day travel within the country found in supra-regional national competitions.
The third and final item on the agenda is the five largest team sports, the associations and professional leagues, another strategic collaboration agreed. In solidarity between Team Sports Germany and the Professional Sports Germany Initiative and the DOSB, all common topics should be worked on in a coordinated manner in the future in order to overcome the corona crisis with joint forces.
Participants in the meeting from the sport of basketball were: Wolfgang Brenscheidt (General Secretary of the German Basketball Association), Dr. Stefan Holz (Managing Director of easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga), Christian Krings (Managing Director of BARMER 2. Basketball Bundesliga), Philipp Reuner (Managing Director of the Women's Basketball Bundesliga), from the sport of ice hockey: Franz Reindl (President Deutscher Eishockey-Bund), Gernot Tripcke (Managing Director Penny German Ice Hockey League), René Rudorisch (Managing Director German Ice Hockey League 2), from the sport of football: Rainer Koch (1st Vice President DFB) and Jens Futterknecht (DFB), from the sport of handball: Andreas Michelmann (President of the German Handball Association), Frank Bohmann (Managing Director of Liqui Moly Handball Bundesliga), from the sport of volleyball: René Hecht (President of the German Volleyball Association) and Nicole Fetting (General Secretary of the German Volleyball Association) as well as Michael Evers (President of the Volleyball Bundesliga) and Klaus-Peter Jung (Managing Director of the Volleyball Bundesliga).