They fight for club life in the district of forchheim
What are the consequences of the corona crisis for the clubs in the forchheim region?? What were the major successes and minor defeats in the history of the association?? On the subject of our "club life" week in a double interview, the frankischer tag forchheim asked six questions of birgit greif, spokeswoman for the singing club liederkranz and church choir pinzberg, and edmund knauer, spokesman for soccer at SV buckenhofen.
What has been the club’s greatest success in recent years??
Birgit greif: very nice experiences were the rough concerts with the frankenchor. This consists of members of various choruses, which are led by our conductor alexander ezhelev. He has conducted the liederkranz pinzberg for ten years, and we are very happy to work with him as a professional musician.
But also the local festivities, such as the musical accompaniment of a wedding last year or the festive services, anniversaries or jubilee communions and many more made a great deal of money.
Edmund knauer: from my point of view as committee spokesman for soccer, it was the double promotion of our 1. And 2. Men’s team in the 2017/18 season. We also see it as a further success that we are the only club in the city and district of forchheim to have a third men’s soccer team in play, and that these three teams are predominantly made up of players from our own youth team.
What has been a setback for the association in recent years??
Birgit greif: as is so often the case, it comes gradually: our club pub, which was no longer open all the time, was a setback for us. The eger/hack family has contributed a lot to the sense of community and sociability. We are very grateful for her generosity. In addition, singers have left due to illness or age. The balance with new voices was unfortunately missing.
Edmund knauer: serious setbacks? There was not! And smaller ones we are used to put away.
What is the association suffering most from the corona crisis??
Birgit greif: singing in choirs is a joy and part of our culture. Unfortunately, this cannot be replaced by the digital possibilities. Our members suffer from the fact that they no longer sing in the choir, and we all miss the community very much. Even festivals, which are important parts of village life, could no longer take place. At the end of march we celebrated our 70th anniversary. We had planned a special singing sunday with honors, but then everything turned out differently. The christmas concert also has to be cancelled. Choral singing can shine especially brightly with the songs of the advent and christmas season.
Edmund knauer: the gymnastics and handball departments are particularly affected by the closure of the gymnasiums. Courses and trainings cannot take place. All this has a counterproductive effect on the recruitment of new members. In the youth area, the current "sport-free" situation holds a lot of risks the danger that one or the other will say goodbye to active sports due to the lack of communal practice and game times. Sport in a club thrives on community and positive interaction with one another.
From a financial point of view, the ball-playing departments are missing the admission fees as well as the income from the break sales. The lack of course fees in the gymnastics department and the reduced rental income from the guesthouse do not make the situation any easier.
The special social highlights such as the sportsmen’s fair or the st. John’s bonfire in the summer months did not take place this year. Also our planned end-of-year parties, where parents, honorary members and many hard-working helpers are invited as a thank-you, have to be cancelled.
What does the club do to get new members??
Birgit greif: it is important to always show presence. The club can be seen in the village with many actions. At the same time, we are not afraid to explore new avenues. We have organized may festivals together with the music club. For several years now, the club’s carnival ball has been held in conjunction with the local volunteer fire department and winter sports and hiking clubs. The goal should always be good fellowship.
A closer look shows that there is a large proportion of older members in the association. I wish the association more singers who are young at heart and that they can learn from the perseverance and loyalty of the older generation.
Edmund knauer: we offer as many activities as possible for children as young as kindergarten age, such as "mother/father-child gymnastics", "bambinis" in handball and fubball as well as "bewegungskunste" as a starter offer in the area of youth circus.
Volunteer work in clubs is becoming less and less, and finding board members is becoming more and more difficult, according to the preconception. What is your opinion?
Birgit greif: you have to dare to try something new. We have been rehearsing together with the dobenreuth choral society for five years now. This is an enrichment for both sides. There will be many changes in the life of the club. My conclusion: where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Edmund knauer: this is not a prejudice, but a fact. We try to recruit young members for these tasks through our youth committee and by targeting them in the teams.
If your club suddenly had twice as many members (liederkranz pinzberg) or only half as many (SV buckenhofen): how would the club change??
Birgit greif: that was great, then we could offer several singing directions. There might be a gospel choir, youth choir and children’s choir. But also a pure manner choir would be conceivable with enough voices. Trauma is allowed.
Edmund knauer: this almost certainly meant that many teams, especially in handball and soccer, were no longer able to play on their own – i.E. Not without forming teams with neighboring clubs.