Too little voluntary commitment is the biggest problem for amateur clubs! 

Cologne. The last three years have not been easy for amateur sport either. Due to the corona crisis, The decline in membership and the energy crisis have presented clubs across all sports with major challenges. That's why FanQ, the voting platform in sport, and SPM Sportplatz Media, with its team organisation app SpielerPlus, launched a survey for amateur athletes from all sports to shed light on the current situation. A total of 10,542 people took part. 

As part of the large-scale study, FanQ and SPM Sportplatz Media have jointly set themselves the task of working out the biggest problems and identifying possible solutions. How has the importance of amateur sport changed in recent years? What are the biggest challenges facing amateur clubs in Germany and which players need special support from the clubs? 

The questions for the athletes were developed in collaboration with Prof Dr Axel Faix (Dortmund University of Applied Sciences, Department of Economics) and Prof Dr Harald Lange (Institute of Sports Science at the University of Würzburg), both of whom are members of the FanQ Scientific Advisory Board.  

So-called active sport is playing an increasingly important role for amateur athletes. Almost half (45.8 %) of those surveyed stated that they believe the importance of amateur sport has increased somewhat (22.9 %) or significantly (22.9 %) in the last two years, while for a further 29.1 % it has remained the same over this period. In this context, 40.6 % of the survey participants even believe that the importance of amateur sport for them has increased somewhat (25.5 %) or significantly (15.1 %) compared to professional sport in the last 24 months. 

Amateur athletes identify the social component (86.6 %) rather than the sporting component (75.6 %) as the most important motivation for taking part in amateur sport. For just over half of the respondents (52.7 %), health also plays an important role. 

The study's focus on volunteering in amateur sport is particularly striking. For 33.9 % of the participants, this is the biggest challenge for amateur clubs. Financial problems (24.0 %) and the decline in membership (22.9 %) follow in second and third place. At the same time, 38.5 % of respondents stated that the number of volunteers in their amateur club had fallen in the last two years, with only 13.4 % reporting an increase. In addition, 72.2 % of respondents stated that their club needs support from volunteers in the current situation. 

In addition, 62.4 % of respondents believe that their club is dependent on the support of sponsors in the current situation. Furthermore, almost half of the respondents stated that help from local authorities (48.9 %) and sports associations (48.1 %) was also needed in this context. 

Overall, it is clear that amateur clubs are currently facing a wide range of challenges. However, it is not possible to speak of an existential crisis in amateur sport. This is made particularly clear by the fact that over half (51.3 %) rate the current situation of their club as positive (41.2 %) or even very positive (10.1 %), while a further 29.0 % are neutral about the current situation. 

Marcel Hager, Managing Director and founder of SPM Sportplatz Media, summarises the overall conclusion of the study as follows: "Despite all the crises, amateur sport has proven to be very resilient in recent years and continues to play a key role in society. Nevertheless, our study has shown exactly where adjustments need to be made. Volunteering in particular must be further strengthened in order to secure the future of active sport." 

Separate studies on amateur football, amateur handball and amateur volleyball will be published here in the same place on 4 August 2023. 

If you have any editorial queries, please contact FanQ founder Joachim Lammert, joachim.lammert@fanq.com, 0163-5293000. 

FanQ is the "voice of the fans". It is the only football platform where the opinion of the fans takes centre stage. The experienced FanQ editorial team provides daily surveys via the web and app. Fans can vote on their favourite clubs and all relevant football topics. FanQ is interactive. Fans can exchange opinions, interact socially and ask their own questions. This results in a representative picture of the mood. FanQ also creates long-term studies to research complex topics. Registration for the web community and use of the app are free of charge. FanQ is based in Cologne.

As a marketer & software developer, we offer our customers direct access to the attractive sports environment. With Germany's largest sports media network and numerous digital solutions, we are CLOSE TO the action - to active sports, fans and customers. 

SpielerPlus is part of the SPM Sportplatz Media portfolio and is Germany's most popular team sports app with 250,000 teams in over 70 sports. Whether it's match days, training, team funds or carpooling - everything is organised via the app. 

Further information is available at www.sportplatz-media.com 

If you have any editorial queries about the survey results, please contact us.

Contact FanQ: 
joachim.lammert@fanq.com 
+49 (0) 163 529 3000 
Kilian Weber/Joachim Lammert 
Managing Director 

Contact SPM Sportplatz Media: 
Marcel.hager@sportplatz-media.com 
+49 (0) 40 537 98 63 20 
Marcel Hager 
Managing Director