Volleyball | The Volleyball Bundesliga is suffering from problems in men's sports

Small against big: Warnemünde's Jan-Philipp Krabel (M.) against the title contenders from Lüneburg Photo: imago/Witke As everywhere else in the Volleyball Bundesliga, the top teams determine the perception: perennial champions and league croissant BR Volleys, the challengers from SVG Lüneburg and the old rival from Berlin's VfB Friedrichshafen. But the general health of a league cannot be judged primarily by the healthiest ones, but rather by the condition of the supporting structure.

At the beginning of the new season, which started with the first games on Tuesday, SV Warnemünde and the Volley Goats Mitteldeutschland, two of three first division teams from the East, dueled. The volleyball players from the Ostee Coast won 3:2. The third eastern club in the league is the Netzhoppers Königs-Wusterhausen, who lost their home game 2-3 against Giesen on Wednesday evening.

The fact that clubs like Warnemünde and the Volley Goats from Bitterfeld are even playing in the Bundesliga dates back to 2022 and 2023. After various bankruptcies, the clubs were in danger of going out of business, and just eight clubs were eligible for the Bundesliga. Not enough for an attractive gaming operation. So the VBL league association gave four second division teams the option of moving to the upper house together as so-called package climbers and acclimatizing there within two years with a guarantee of non-relegation.

A new basement was created in the Bundesliga structure at that time, in which the clubs could slowly approach the level and still not run the risk of losing in almost every game, since at least three other teams were in the same situation. The financial pressure was also reduced. Three years later you can say: the concept has so far been a success. New newcomers such as Warnemünde and now also the returnees from TV Rottenburg, who started with a 0:3 against Düren, were constantly being added. The league now has a healthy strength of 14 teams.

This good development can best be illustrated with an example: The former VC Bitterfeld-Wolfen now plays under the somewhat unwieldy but lucrative name Cerebricks Volley Goats Mitteldeutschland, is entering its fourth first division season and, due to the lack of an alternative in its own district, now plays its home games in Halle an der Saale in a modern arena instead of in a better gymnasium as before. “We have never regretted the decision to go to the first league,” says managing director Lukas Thielemann. »We have constantly developed further every year. Basically everything worked out exactly as we had hoped.«

»We have never regretted the decision to go to the first league.«

The budget has now increased by around a third to around 400,000 euros since the start of the Bundesliga three years ago, Thielemann reported positive figures. Now the challenge is to develop new sources at the new location in Halle and to take old Bitterfeld companions with us. “It is challenging to accompany this move and build new relationships,” admits the managing director. After all, top volleyball has yet to establish itself in Halle. He knows quite a few manager colleagues “who would have to close their shop if they moved to another city,” he reports. "We're doing well, we're still here, but of course we're moving between two cities."

“No other club has this challenge,” says Thielemann. But for the Bitterfelders there was no alternative. »Anyone who knows the old hall and is now a guest in the new one needs about three seconds to realize that the one is ten levels better. The appeal has increased enormously and the response has been consistently positive." Previously, just under 400 fans could fit into the narrow Bernstein Hall in Friedersdorf, but now an average of 850 to 1,000 spectators are expected.

Last year, Central Germany would have been relegated if competitor ASV Dachau had not withdrawn for economic reasons and Unterhaching and Herrsching had not merged to form Volleys Munich. A stroke of luck that they now want to use and learn from mistakes such as incorrect squad composition. With an almost new team and new coaching staff, things should get better. “Our sporting performance is currently higher than ever before,” says Thielemann. "This is the best team and the best coaching team we've ever had - especially in combination." This Friday they can prove it in their first home game against the volleyball players from Königs-Wusterhausen.

The goal in Halle is not to have anything to do with relegation at any point this season. “But we are also aiming for the playoffs,” says Thielemann, i.e. a place in the main round in the top eight. Five or six teams seem set for the first places: champions BR Volleys, Lüneburg, Friedrichshafen, Düren and Giesen and perhaps the newly formed club from Munich. Berlin's opening win 3-0 against Freiburg was a must, and Friedrichshafen also won 3-1 in Munich on Wednesday evening. What came as a surprise, however, was Lüneburg's 3-0 defeat in Karlsruhe.

Behind the nominally big ones, the race for the further ranks is completely open. »The development is fantastic. “The Bundesliga has never been as attractive in the last ten years as it is now,” says Thielemann. The competition between places six and 14 promises strong, open competition. “The level is getting closer and closer, which is good for the tension and will only increase in the future,” thinks the 28-year-old manager.

Kim Renkema, one of the managing directors of the VBL league association, is also pleased about the sporting development. But she emphasizes: "Financially, there is still a lot to be done so that the lower clubs also take steps to develop into the midfield or towards the top." There is still a huge gap between the top budgets of the Berliners, for example, which are estimated to be in the range of between three and four million euros, and the clubs in the last third with budgets in the low six-figure range. “We definitely have to take further steps financially in order to create more competition at the top.”

From Renkema's point of view, it is also essential for further development to establish regular sporting competitions with promotion and relegation. »It is important that you have competition – at all levels of the league. Then a relegation battle can be almost as exciting as the battle for the title,” says the league’s marketer. To achieve this, further persuasion and development work must be done in the second leagues. »We have more and more clubs that see the possibility of promotion. The package climbers have shown the way,” she emphasizes. To achieve this, the VBL also lowered the financial requirements so as not to make the entry hurdle too high.

The association's aim is now to find a league sponsor for the men as well as for the women. But Renkema knows that this is more difficult for men. "The big challenge for men is that they are also compared to men's sports." And there is great competition from football, ice hockey, handball and basketball. “These are extremely strong range sports, volleyball has a hard time with that,” says Renkema. “When it comes to women, we are right at the top with football, but not when it comes to men.”

You have to find characteristics that define men's volleyball and then find partners with an affinity for the sport. After all, this season there is a referee partner for the men's upper house for the first time in the form of the tour operator Schauinslandreisen. In the best case scenario, this can also be used to develop a name sponsorship for the entire league, as happened with partner Dekra for the women. Economic stability in healthy locations, sporting competition with excitement and attractiveness as well as functioning promotion and relegation are crucial for this. And that requires duels like Warnemünde against Central Germany.

Other media have corporations or billionaires behind them. We have the nd.Genossenschaft and readers like you. That makes us independent and that’s exactly how we want to remain. But it also means: without you the calculation won't work. We need 300,000 euros by the end of the year.

You can donate directly here, one-time or regularly, so that nd stays.