Dr. Theo Zwanziger’s proposal to reduce team strength to nine players in some of the lower divisions, voiced a few weeks ago, had triggered a heated debate in Germany. The President of the German Football Association (DFB) had made his dramatic proposal public in an interview with kicker sportmagazin on January 4. Zwanziger wants (and needs) to find an antidote to the looming trend, that teams in some rural regions cannot field enough players. "I need to make our football players and administrators aware of the dramatic demographic changes, which we will face in the not-to-distant future."
The DFB President and kicker, a leading football magazine in Germany, had invited 17 fans, players and kicker readers to the DFB headquarters to discuss the controversial topic. "9 on 9" served as the headline for the discussion between the President and 17 experts from the grassroots level. The talks lasted for more than three hours. At the end of the meeting, Zwanziger praised the level of discussions. "Very much focused on the issue, very dedicated, yet always fair. Everybody stayed true to the facts", said Zwanziger. "Really, with this topic ‘9 on 9’, flexibility will be the most important guideline for all of us."
Besides Zwanziger, DFB director Willi Hink, DFB media director Harald Stenger, kicker chief editor Rainer Holzschuh and kicker editor Rainer Franzke had joined the panel. DFB internet editor Christian Müller reports from the meeting between Theo Zwanziger and the fans.
"Out of sight, out of mind – that will not work with the demographic change. The future Germany will have less people and more women. On average, Germany will be older, more international and less affluent", said Zwanziger. "These numbers obviously affect our association. We are about to face a dramatic change." According to the DFB President, this change will hit the country’s regions differently. "Rural regions will record a shrinkage of up to 50 percent of the population within the next 15 years. The threat of many teams going down the drain is very real."
"As responsible administrators, we have to address these issues and we have to develop solutions", said the 61-year old DFB President. Roughly 5.5 million men at the age between 20 and 30 years live in Germany presently. In just twelve years, it will be just 4.4 million, reported Zwanziger.
Theme "9 on 9"
His "9 on 9" proposal aims to extenuate the demographic effects. A reduction of the number of players in the lower leagues in certain regions may prevent a massive decline in the number of teams and leagues.
Michael Schleuter from Geldern, one of the fans in the panel, addressed another issue that may influence the number of active players. "Sundays should belong to the amateurs exclusively", said Schleuter, a player in the Kreisliga B for SV Lüllingen. Overlapping times with Bundesliga matches prevent people from attending an amateur game", said Wolfgang Schmidt, the president of DJK Viktoria Frechen.
Michael Dörr, a regional coach of the DFB, advocated to constantly strive for more attractive offers: "We need to do a better job. We need to reach out to the communities. We also need to use the World Cup surge." Siegfried Schott from Albstadt criticized the DFB’s grassroots efforts: "The DFB has neglected the juniors for too many years. We have lost too many players because of this."
"9 on 9 is not some crazy idea, but a necessity for some regions. We need to act. Dr. Zwanziger’s comments have led to this very necessary debate, but we’ll need to act soon", said Werner Vogel from Bad Endbach. The traditionalists had their say as well. "Football – that should always be one ball, two goals and eleven players per team", said Michael Schleuter. Kuno Decker agreed: "We should stick with the traditional 11 on 11 for as long as possible."
Zwanziger, however, stressed that "we do not intend to abandon the 11 on 11 rule. We just want to establish the possibility to react flexible. If it makes sense to create a 9 on 9 format in a specific league, the regional district should have this option". Flexibility is the key for every conceivable solution, according to Zwanziger.
Using the get-together, the DFB President touched upon a few impressive figures. The DFB transfers 4 million Euros per annum to the 21 regional associations, while an additional 20 million Euros were transferred from the World Cup surplus. Foster programs for the most talented juniors cost another 10 million Euros annually. In his closing remarks, Zwanziger repeated his unflinching committment to support the amateur game down to the lowest league. More than 26,000 clubs are organised under the roof of the DFB. "I am convinced that football will always be our favourite sport here in Germany. We have to face this special responsibility in all our daily plans and actions."
created by cm/th
[bild1]
Dr. Theo Zwanziger’s proposal to reduce team strength to nine players in some of the lower divisions, voiced a few weeks ago, had triggered a heated debate in Germany. The President of the German Football Association (DFB) had made his dramatic proposal public in an interview with kicker sportmagazin on January 4. Zwanziger wants (and needs) to find an antidote to the looming trend, that teams in some rural regions cannot field enough players. "I need to make our football players and administrators aware of the dramatic demographic changes, which we will face in the not-to-distant future."
The DFB President and kicker, a leading football magazine in Germany, had invited 17 fans, players and kicker readers to the DFB headquarters to discuss the controversial topic. "9 on 9" served as the headline for the discussion between the President and 17 experts from the grassroots level. The talks lasted for more than three hours. At the end of the meeting, Zwanziger praised the level of discussions. "Very much focused on the issue, very dedicated, yet always fair. Everybody stayed true to the facts", said Zwanziger. "Really, with this topic ‘9 on 9’, flexibility will be the most important guideline for all of us."
Besides Zwanziger, DFB director Willi Hink, DFB media director Harald Stenger, kicker chief editor Rainer Holzschuh and kicker editor Rainer Franzke had joined the panel. DFB internet editor Christian Müller reports from the meeting between Theo Zwanziger and the fans.
"Out of sight, out of mind – that will not work with the demographic change. The future Germany will have less people and more women. On average, Germany will be older, more international and less affluent", said Zwanziger. "These numbers obviously affect our association. We are about to face a dramatic change." According to the DFB President, this change will hit the country’s regions differently. "Rural regions will record a shrinkage of up to 50 percent of the population within the next 15 years. The threat of many teams going down the drain is very real."
"As responsible administrators, we have to address these issues and we have to develop solutions", said the 61-year old DFB President. Roughly 5.5 million men at the age between 20 and 30 years live in Germany presently. In just twelve years, it will be just 4.4 million, reported Zwanziger.
Theme "9 on 9"
His "9 on 9" proposal aims to extenuate the demographic effects. A reduction of the number of players in the lower leagues in certain regions may prevent a massive decline in the number of teams and leagues.
Michael Schleuter from Geldern, one of the fans in the panel, addressed another issue that may influence the number of active players. "Sundays should belong to the amateurs exclusively", said Schleuter, a player in the Kreisliga B for SV Lüllingen. Overlapping times with Bundesliga matches prevent people from attending an amateur game", said Wolfgang Schmidt, the president of DJK Viktoria Frechen.
Michael Dörr, a regional coach of the DFB, advocated to constantly strive for more attractive offers: "We need to do a better job. We need to reach out to the communities. We also need to use the World Cup surge." Siegfried Schott from Albstadt criticized the DFB’s grassroots efforts: "The DFB has neglected the juniors for too many years. We have lost too many players because of this."
[bild2]
"9 on 9 is not some crazy idea, but a necessity for some regions. We need to act. Dr. Zwanziger’s comments have led to this very necessary debate, but we’ll need to act soon", said Werner Vogel from Bad Endbach. The traditionalists had their say as well. "Football – that should always be one ball, two goals and eleven players per team", said Michael Schleuter. Kuno Decker agreed: "We should stick with the traditional 11 on 11 for as long as possible."
Zwanziger, however, stressed that "we do not intend to abandon the 11 on 11 rule. We just want to establish the possibility to react flexible. If it makes sense to create a 9 on 9 format in a specific league, the regional district should have this option". Flexibility is the key for every conceivable solution, according to Zwanziger.
Using the get-together, the DFB President touched upon a few impressive figures. The DFB transfers 4 million Euros per annum to the 21 regional associations, while an additional 20 million Euros were transferred from the World Cup surplus. Foster programs for the most talented juniors cost another 10 million Euros annually. In his closing remarks, Zwanziger repeated his unflinching committment to support the amateur game down to the lowest league. More than 26,000 clubs are organised under the roof of the DFB. "I am convinced that football will always be our favourite sport here in Germany. We have to face this special responsibility in all our daily plans and actions."
