German volleyball is on a sporty descent. One reason is turbulence in the association. This is another reason why there is a revolt against President René Hecht.
On the homepage of the German Volleyball Association (DVV) the heading for the overview of dates is: “This is happening this week!” ?
On Sunday (July 16th, 2023) officials of the DVV will meet with representatives of the state associations in Göttingen for an “open dialogue”, according to the official terminology.
Sporting descent, financial problems, lack of staff
There is a rumbling in German volleyball, which is on a sporting descent in the hall and in the beach area, which has financial problems after the insolvency of its own marketing agency and is looking for management staff because several positions have become vacant in recent months, not always at the request of those affected .
The rumbling has become so loud that the president of the association, René Hecht, is to be advised to resign on Sunday, according to information from the sports show, in order to get out of the dilemma face-saving.
Otherwise, according to a state association president, there is a risk of being voted out and possibly a mudslinging with negative headlines that would further damage the sport.
“The presidents of some state associations have expressed the desire for personnel changes,” said the DVV when asked by the sports show whether Hecht knew what was in store for him in Göttingen.
It remains to be seen whether he will comply with the wishes of the opposition associations.
Dispute with specialist magazine
The association writes that the meeting should be “open-ended about current projects, issues and future cooperation”.
So far, volleyball has benefited from its existence as a fringe sport, as some remarkable events have remained almost unnoticed by the public. The “Volleyball Magazin”, for example, which describes itself as the “mouthpiece of the scene” because it is the only medium that reports continuously on the sport, was forbidden from participating in press conferences.
If the German Football Association were to do this for the specialist magazine “kicker”, it would be a topic that would make it onto social networks and news agencies in a matter of minutes.
The attempt at a peace-making conversation between the magazine and the DVV went horribly wrong, perhaps also because President Hecht withdrew the “du” from the editor of the volleyball magazine at the beginning of the conversation, which both had been using for decades.
“Distrust and fear” reign at the DVV
Hecht is Germany’s record national player with 385 international matches for East and West Germany. He took over the DVV in June 2018 after the presidency resigned due to a dispute with the majority of the state associations about the future direction.
In the meantime, a lot has backed up again. Sport directors left the federation and were not replaced. The post of board member Bernd Janssen, who gave up voluntarily, has not yet been filled. “There is obviously a lack of everything at the DVV headquarters: staff, an understanding of responsibilities, information and, above all, mutual trust,” writes the “Volleyball Magazin”. “Distrust and fear” rule at the DVV.
The association responded with a long letter to the “Volleyball Magazin” demanding that the “false reports” be corrected. So far, however, the magazine has stuck to its statements.
Former employees of the DVV confirmed to the sports show that the working atmosphere in the association’s headquarters was poisoned at the time. There was even a fear that personally addressed emails might have been read.