Jens Barschdorf from Freising has made a name for himself as a referee in the national volleyball leagues.
He is also involved in associations and politics.
The second lockdown hit
Freising
- team sports particularly hard: the amateurs had to stop playing and training, only the professionals are allowed to continue under strict conditions.
The referees are also affected - and one of them is Jens Barschdorf: The Freisinger is not only active as a referee in the Bundesliga, but also holds the position of referee instructor at the Bavarian Volleyball Association.
The professional teams of the 1st and 2nd national volleyball leagues are defying the corona crisis.
Barschdorf can therefore continue to pursue his leisure activities and is called in as an arbitrator or line judge almost every weekend.
For example, he was most recently used in a second division match for women at SV Lohhof or in the first division match between Herrsching and Friedrichshafen.
Ghost game atmosphere and numerous hygiene measures
“Due to the hygiene requirements and, above all, because of the lack of spectators, there is currently a very special and extraordinary atmosphere at the games,” says Barschdorf.
All those involved in the hall have to undergo a rapid corona test before the game.
The referees wear masks until shortly before the start of the game.
In addition, the five volleyballs in play are continuously disinfected.
“And then, of course, there is no atmosphere in the hall during such a ghost game,” the 38-year-old thinks of the game in Herrsching, for example.
“The fans there usually provide a cauldron.
But it is currently very quiet, the game is being broadcast via live stream - and the moderator is trying to create a good mood. "
Barschdorf is happy that at least in the professional area, the point game operation is maintained.
Despite the high incidence, he feels very safe thanks to the strict hygiene regulations when he is on the weekend as a referee in the halls.
Of course, he looks to the future with a little concern: “I'm excited to see how long the Bundesliga clubs will hold out in volleyball.
There is no income from viewers.
And of course all the hygiene measures and the rapid tests cost a lot of money. "
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A closer look: The Freisinger (back, right) has been a referee and line judge in the national volleyball leagues for eight years.
© Robert Burschik
In addition, there is a lack of TV money in volleyball and, accordingly, the clubs' budgets are tight.
In the 2nd Bundesliga, according to Barschdorf, most clubs would have to get by on around 100,000 euros, in the 1st Bundesliga most of them with around half a million and the top teams with one to five million.
"If I were to speculate, then I believe that some volleyball clubs in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga would not survive two seasons without spectators and in Corona mode."
Barschdorf is also worried about his second voluntary activity.
As a referee instructor at the Bavarian Volleyball Association (BVV), he is responsible for what the referees are taught.
He also coordinates the trainers and is the contact person for the referees.
The BVV normally trains between 4000 and 5000 new referees in the year.
"We're a long way from that this year," he emphasizes.
“After the first lockdown, we couldn't really start training until the end of June, then it was summer vacation and now we're already in lockdown again.
I am grateful that the clubs and referee attendants were so inventive, otherwise we would have been able to hold even fewer courses. ”He and his team set up online offers for the referees as best they could and tried to relax a little on the beach courts help.
But the training is not just about theory and the mastery of the rules, the referees must be given practical experience in games.
"That was extremely difficult this year."
Backlog of training and further education in refereeing
The training courses were also neglected.
Normally, all referees would have to attend on-site training every two years in order to be able to keep their license.
"We certainly won't be able to do that this year," says Barschdorf, but immediately adds that the association doesn't want to lose any referee.
That is why they are offering online courses with tests and will try to catch up on the backlog of training and further education in 2021.
Of course, the Freising is aware that this can only succeed if Corona will allow a reasonably normal sporting activity again at least from spring or summer, which is also related to the approval of a vaccine.
Until then, Barschdorf will continue to be active in the national leagues as a referee or linesman - he comes to a good 20 to 25 missions per season.
The 38-year-old has been a referee in the volleyball upper house for eight years.
He came to the sport via detours: as a child he swam and then, like almost all boys, tried soccer, but soon realized that it wasn't much fun for him.
In school sport - Barschdorf is a graduate of the Dom-Gymnasium - he became acquainted with volleyball - and then learned the basics of sport at SC Freising.
To become a referee, however, was never his plan.
Since three teams always come together on a game day in volleyball in the lower leagues and the game-free team is the court of arbitration, Barschdorf was once asked whether he could take the referee's license to whistle games.
“The key experience was in 2007 at a home game of our Bayernliga team against Starnberg.
I was there as a spectator.
When neither referee came, I was asked if I could step in.
Apparently I did my job so well that afterwards I was asked to take further exams in order to be able to whistle in a higher class in the long run. "
Jens Barschdorf continues to play for SC Freising
In addition, Barschdorf himself still plays in the third team at SC Freising, which he has also been training this season.
“As a trainer in particular, the practice from the lower leagues helps me to convey content because we have different requirements there than in the Bundesliga,” explains the 38-year-old.
"Sport also promotes health."
Because sport is not enough for the historian with a doctorate, Barschdorf has been politically active in the FDP since his youth.
For example, he ran for the state parliament in 2018 and has been the only representative of the FDP on the Freising City Council since March of this year.
“I really enjoy working in the city council - even if I still have to familiarize myself with many areas,” he emphasizes.
“Of course I am committed to sport - among other areas.
Due to Corona, however, there are problems in the city's budget, so that we cannot currently implement all projects.
This is a difficult situation. "
Jens Barschdorf also has a full-time job on the side: After studying at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich (Ancient History, Latin and Economics with a doctorate), he dared to start over from scratch.
For many years he has worked for a patent attorney as a patent and trademark consultant.
He also looks after the company's IT security.
“I feel very comfortable in my professional life and have a crisis-proof job here,” says Barschdorf and laughs.
"Because inventions are always made."
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