Schleswig-Holstein wants to support handball clubs with one million euros

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The players of the THW Kiel at the championship ceremony in June

Frank Molter / dpa

Handball is a cultural asset in Schleswig-Holstein. The Schleswig-Holstein Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU), who once appeared as a left-hander in the jersey of MTV Eckernförde, leaves no doubt. "This is the most important sport that we have in Schleswig-Holstein," said Günther on June 4th when he handed over the championship trophy from SG Flensburg-Handewitt to THW Kiel - the two handball flagships of Schleswig-Holstein sport - accompanied.

In the morning Günther received the silver plate in Flensburg, handed over the trophy in his place of residence in Eckernförde and finally gave a speech at the championship celebration in the Kiel Sparkasse arena. Not only the managing directors of the THW Kiel, Viktor Szilagy, and Dierk Schmäschke (SG Flensburg-Handewitt), who is said to have a good relationship with Günther, were all smiling. "It was great that the Prime Minister took the whole day," says Oliver Lücke, spokesman for the Handball Bundesliga (HBL).

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Schleswig-Holstein's Prime Minister Daniel Günther (left) and Kiel's Managing Director Viktor Szilagy on the day of the championship ceremony

Carsten Rehder / picture alliance / dpa

At this event, Günther already made it clear that the state government would support the two clubs in the corona crisis. "It's going to be a big challenge for all clubs," he said. "We also have to support us in these difficult times, because we want handball to continue to be such a great sport and for these great clubs to remain."

Günther gives an early financial commitment

According to information from SPIEGEL, Günther had verbally given representatives of the two clubs beforehand that they would receive a donation of one million euros each. The second division VfL Lübeck-Schwartau is also to participate in the funding with a six-figure sum (almost 200,000 euros).

At the request of SPIEGEL, the Kiel Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for sport in the country, did not deny these promises. "The state government has the difficult situation of the Schleswig-Holstein handball Bundesliga club caused by pandemic-related revenue shortfalls in view," said a ministry spokesman in response. The state government can only assess "the possibility and the need for additional aid from the state for Schleswig-Holstein's handball Bundesliga clubs when the specific funding conditions and the respective amount of federal aid are known."

As is well known, the Bundestag has decided on an emergency aid program of the federal government for professional sports in handball, basketball, volleyball and other leagues in the amount of 200 million euros, which is primarily intended to compensate for the losses caused by lost audience revenues. "As far as I know, these guidelines are to be published by the Federal Ministry of the Interior at the beginning of next week," said HBL managing director Frank Bohmann on request.

However, the grants for the professional clubs are limited to a maximum of 800,000 euros, which is why both THW Kiel and SG Flensburg-Handewitt will not cover the losses that are threatened in the season starting October 1st due to closed games with the federal funds can compensate. According to the balance sheet, the game income of the record champions THW Kiel amounted to exactly 4.97 million in the 2018/19 season, corresponding to 37 percent of the budget of 13.42 million euros.

The situation is dramatic, according to the THW Kiel

The home games of the crowd are usually sold out with 10,250 fans. Since the Chancellor's consultations with the Prime Minister on Thursday, it has been clear that the ghost games phase will last at least until the end of the year. The situation is dramatic, according to the record champions from Kiel, the losses from ghost games would be considerable. The home league games of SG Flensburg-Handewitt were attended by around 6,000 spectators before the pandemic, which is why the SG will not be able to compensate for its losses through the federal fund.

Other Bundesliga clubs also have this problem, but Kiel has by far the best average attendance in the league. This is followed by the Rhein-Neckar Löwen (8330) and the Füchse Berlin (7802), which, however, are presumably not additionally supported by their state governments.

It still seems completely open from which pot the aid from the state of Schleswig-Holstein for Kiel and Flensburg will ultimately be paid. According to information from SPIEGEL, the two Bundesliga clubs first presented the country with a tourism concept. Accordingly, the SG and the THW should advertise as ambassadors for the country. Such an advertising contract has apparently not yet been concluded.

In circles of the Kiel "Jamaica" coalition there is now talk of the fact that the aid could also come from various budgets in the country. Part of it could come from infrastructure programs if the clubs register a need here. Second division Lübeck-Schwartau, for example, is planning to modernize its venue. The subsidies from the state, which Günther promised, actually depends on how high the losses of the three clubs in the past and current financial year actually turn out.