The approximately 90,000 sports clubs in Germany are to save at least 20 percent of their energy in the coming months. With this appeal to its members, the German Olympic Sports Confederation wants to prevent the closure of swimming pools and sports facilities in the wake of the energy crisis.

When it comes to saving energy, the DOSB wants to help the clubs with a detailed step-by-step plan. “Organized sport is making its contribution in this difficult situation and is once again assuming social responsibility,” said DOSB President Thomas Weikert.

At the same time, the umbrella organization misses support for sport in the third relief package that the federal government recently launched. “It is unacceptable for politicians to repeat the mistakes of the corona pandemic and underestimate the importance of sport for society,” said DOSB CEO Torsten Burmester. The consequences of the pandemic have exhausted the reserves of many clubs, and they can hardly cope with the sharp rise in energy costs.

Burmester called for “a noticeable financial relief” for the sports clubs. Organized sport with its 27 million members could “develop tremendous power, also when it comes to saving energy. But this power is finite,” said the top official.

The German Football League had previously recommended that clubs in the Bundesliga and the second division set an individual energy saving target of 15 to 20 percent for the current season.