The state sports association of North Rhine-Westphalia is calling on the state government to set up a financial aid program for sports clubs in need as a result of the energy crisis. “If no help comes from the state, sports clubs in NRW will soon disappear from the map. Sports clubs with their own sports facilities in particular fear a short-term end,” explained LSB President Stefan Klett in a media release on Wednesday. In a previously published position paper, the LSB explained that short-term financial aid from the state was absolutely necessary.
In the message, the LSB referred to the support of the sports clubs by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the context of the Corona crisis, but the LSB CEO Christoph Niessen confirmed that the energy crisis could hit organized sport even harder: “In connection with the high inflation the downright exploding costs also affect the members of the association privately. A simple transfer of rising energy prices to membership fees will not be possible.”
Klett said that club sport itself wanted to make its contribution to saving energy and overcoming the crisis. “We are committed to a savings target of 20 percent. In return, we expect that municipal sports facilities will not simply be closed across the board, but that the savings will be implemented on site together with the sports clubs,” said the LSB boss. “Our club system is very creative, even when it comes to saving energy. But there is one thing the clubs cannot do: deal with this crisis alone.”
