Frankfurt is to become the number one sports city in Germany by 2035. This is the idea of a group that sees itself as a spokesman and representative of amateur and professional clubs, sports organizers and organizations in the city on the Main. Jürgen Lange, Chairman of the Frankfurt Sports Foundation, and Frank Manfred Schröder, coordinator of this interest group of Frankfurt Sports Organisations (IGFS), presented a "manifesto" at a press event in the Massif Central, which describes a possible path to this ambitious goal in ten demands.

Although sport achieves a lot and the city benefits greatly from it, which, among other things, offers children and young people meaningful leisure activities, helps with integration, is the "engine of the economy" through its major events such as the bicycle race on 1 May or the marathon and ensures a good reputation, the existing infrastructure is far from sufficient. to meet the different demands and allow all people to practice the sport of their choice. More than 3000,<> children, for example, were waiting for admission to a club due to a lack of hall capacity, according to the paper.

In order to improve the situation decisively, the city's sports budget should be adapted to the cultural budget, which, according to Lange, is currently about three times as high. As in other municipalities, the municipal sports facilities should be made available to the clubs free of charge. The signatories of the catalogue would like to see seven new three-field halls by 2030, one with scavenger pits for gymnastics, five new open-air facilities, the athletics centre on Hahnstraße to be expanded into a stadium including a hall suitable for international competitions, the construction of an indoor swimming pool with diving facility and grandstand that meets international requirements, the construction of a multifunctional hall for professional sports and greater support from the city. at major events.

So far, this has been signed by the Skyliners basketball players, the Frankfurt Swimming Association and the Society for the Promotion of Cycling as the organizer of the Eschborn-Frankfurt cycling race. In many other places, according to Claudio Montanini of Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG, who attended the event, the manifesto is already being dealt with, and the makers are confident that many more supporters will be found.

The wishes summarize the results of two events, the first of which came about at the end of 2022 at the suggestion of Mike Josef. The original idea behind this was that the representatives of the sport should join forces and think about how to make themselves more attractive for the economy in the region. The conviction quickly crystallized that the sport had no real lobby, "was not loud enough", as Petra Preßler, chairwoman of the Sports Youth, who was also interested in the IG, put it. That is why popular and elite sport should speak with one voice in the future. The current paper is not set in stone, stressed Lange, but can continue to grow and be changed.

The two mayoral candidates Uwe Becker (CDU) and Mike Josef (SPD), who attended the event, assured in unison that sport plays an important role for them. The fact that little is heard about it in the election campaign has to do with the fact that there is quite agreement on this issue, according to Becker. He himself would also like to see a nationwide leading position for Frankfurt in this area, and one should make oneself on the way there. But this takes time, and it is difficult to harmonise sports and cultural budgets one-to-one; Finally, culture also included the high personnel costs for the Städtische Bühnen.

Josef wants to continue to work for quick solutions. He has in mind the release of more public space for sports, for example by opening up parks or the banks of the Main at certain times. But also that school gyms and pools will be used to a greater extent for clubs. "Many assume that it works in sports," Josef said. The IGFS wants to correct this misjudgement. The deceptive silence should be a thing of the past. The kick-off event at the Massif Central should only be understood as a kick-off.