Clubs groan under the energy cost crisis. Because the meeting with the sports minister had no concrete result, state councilors tightened the tone.
Floodlight games on Friday night? Soon the exception in the football lower house. In the spring, many clubs are already postponing this to Sunday morning. In sports halls, electricity and hot water are turned off earlier. Membership fees shoot up drastically. Sport is already groaning under the energy cost crisis – and the annual accounts are only just coming. There was a lot of discussion about this at the conference of state sports officers, but there was no solution – now the tone towards Sports Minister Werner Kogler is getting rougher. “Clubs need immediate help” “A missed opportunity” Jochen Danninger, Lower Austria’s Sports Councilor, grumbled, “The problems have been known for half a year. The clubs need immediate help instead of vague announcements.” The federal government promised 15 million for non-profit sports clubs in Oberpullendorf. But: There are no criteria, guidelines or ways to apply. The sports minister referred to a meeting with finance minister Magnus Brunner. There is no date for this yet. “There must be a package for the clubs that ensures their survival – as is the case for the economy. I hope that the talks with the two ministers will take place soon,” warns Vienna’s City Councilor for Sports, Peter Hacker. His Burgenland colleague Heinrich Dorner: “We have made it clear that the 15 million reserved by the federal government can only be a first step – but others must follow quickly.” Johann Gartner, as Lower Austria’s football president and representative of 500 clubs, is also pushing. Because there are no reserves: “The clubs are not allowed to have any reserves, otherwise they lose their non-profit status. The hat is on fire!”
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