New COVID Alliance

Against this backdrop, the eleven team sports and their federations – American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, fistball, football, handball, hockey, rugby, volleyball and water polo (in alphabetical order) – are stepping up their cooperation and intend to jointly advocate professional solutions and realistic prospects for their clubs and members.

A resumption of training linked to the reopening of schools in gradual stages, subject to the necessary safety requirements, is a key demand of sport in order to avoid devastating damage in youth and amateur sport. This is intended to counter the alarmingly declining membership figures and prevent entire age groups of children and young people from being lost. As recognised experts, the federations are entering into a united dialogue with the ministries on what the resumption of training operations in team sports, adapted to the situation and running in parallel with school reopenings, could look like.

Federations sound the alarm

Children, young people and their parents are increasingly turning away from sport. While they remained loyal to their club or sport in the past year, there is currently a sharp decline in membership figures. Some federations have already recorded around one third fewer members. This includes children and young people.

"Sport has already demonstrated that it handles the situation and the responsibility that comes with it carefully and professionally. Detailed prevention concepts were developed as early as spring 2020, defining group sizes in training, taking distancing rules into account, strictly regulating the use of changing rooms and also considering staggered entry to and exit from sports facilities. Furthermore, the federations are not aware of any clusters attributable directly to sporting activity. Not least for this reason, skiing and ice skating are still permitted," said AFBÖ President Michael Eschlböck.

Clubs need prospects

"We all have great understanding for the measures that have once again been extended and tightened, and have supported them one hundred per cent since spring 2020. We are doing so now as well. However, team sports now need genuine prospects that we can offer our clubs and members. Otherwise, there will inevitably be unforeseeable long-term collateral damage," appeals ÖFB President Dr. Leo Windtner, adding: "I can only take my hat off in gratitude to all active and voluntary workers in Austria who have made it possible for amateur clubs to get through this difficult period so far. I am convinced that we will overcome this crisis together. But we now need prospects to do so."

Sport makes a significant contribution to public health and to the prevention of illnesses and injuries. Studies following the first lockdown show that there was a significant increase in weight among the population due to a lack of exercise. As a result, certain risk factors for illnesses such as heart attacks, strokes and much more increase.

"Around one million people in Austria take part in team sports. Due to the measures to contain the coronavirus, they were unable to practise their sport for around six months last year. Organised sport showed in this COVID year that we have access to our structures and were nevertheless able to implement pandemic-ready concepts amid constantly changing conditions. Unfortunately, we all have to get used to this 'new normality' in public interaction and help implement solutions within our areas of sporting responsibility. At present, we are also unable to provide them with any information as to how and when grassroots sport will be able to resume training in the future. The federations will jointly enter into even closer dialogue with the ministries, present professional and proven solutions and ways of returning to team sports at the appropriate time, and thus safeguard and represent the interests of our members," says ÖVV President Gernot Leitner.

"Under the current regulation, not even training is permitted in grassroots sport, which has a major impact not only on amateur and youth teams but also on ice rinks. Unlike sports halls, which can be opened immediately if required and made available for training, ice rinks require lead time for ice preparation, which entails additional costs. Many ice rinks in Austria have already suspended operations until further notice. Together as federations, we will seek talks with the federal ministries in order to enable grassroots and youth sport to return to team sports as quickly as possible. With every additional week without training, we as an ice hockey federation are at risk of losing both active players and clubs in the long term," says ÖEHV President Dr. Klaus Hartmann.