As part of its "Play your game" campaign, Stadtwerke Giessen is supporting FSG Grünberg/Lehnheim/Stangenrod with tracksuits and rucksacks.
Over 230 children and young people play for FSG Grünberg/Lehnheim/Stangenrod in a total of twelve teams. It takes a lot of dedicated people to organise the necessary playing and training activities. And that's exactly what FSG has: eleven licensed coaches and 17 supervisors provide a varied and attractive programme - on a voluntary basis, of course. They encourage and challenge the young athletes in many ways and strengthen numerous skills - technical, tactical, cognitive and social.
Titles at district championships, first places in cup competitions and successful participation in international tournaments show that this commitment pays off. But not only in sporting terms. FSG is not only active on the pitch, but also in the region: at the May Day celebration in Grünberg, at the Father's Day knuckle dinner in Lehnheim or at the gyros stand in Stangenrod, the club members - young and old - always lend a hand. Social commitment is very important to FSG: the club's youngsters have already repaired broken goals at a Grünberg comprehensive school, organised aid transports for Ukraine and sent boxes full of football equipment to children in Africa. "At FSG, we live football and community. Of course we are happy about every win and every goal. But winning is not everything. The focus is on togetherness and having fun," emphasises coach Andreas Kahlkopf.
Youth work as a basis
Players between the ages of seven and nineteen form the stable basis of the club, in which a total of 280 active players compete for goals and points. This means that around 80 per cent of members are under 20 years old. Basically, everything at FSG revolves around youth work. "It was precisely this central aspect that convinced us to fulfil FSG's wish for support," explains Stephanie Orlik, responsible for sponsorship at Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG). As part of SWG's "Play your game" campaign, the company donated tracksuits and rucksacks totalling around €1,600 to the club for the D1 youth team, coached by Andreas Kahlkopf and Matthias Christ. "The fact that we were able to convince the club with our application and receive the new equipment not only pleases us, but of course also the youngsters, who now proudly wear the suits and rucksacks," says Andreas Kahlkopf. The D1 team of FSG Grünberg/Lehnheim/Stangenrod plays in the upper third of the table in the district league, is in the semi-finals of the district cup and finished fourth in the indoor round.
Giving everything - right from the start
It all began in 2009, when the footballers from TSV Grünberg joined the existing Lehnheim/Stangenrod syndicate and completed the successful club trio. As a newly formed team, the first team naturally had to start from scratch and play its way to the top. Two consecutive championships enabled them to be promoted to the Kreisoberliga Gießen/Marburg in 2011. FSG has played in this division ever since - longer than any other team.
With this consistency, the first team - as in many other clubs - serves as a role model for young footballers. Especially when it comes to their attitude to sport, but also to life in general. "One of our most important goals is to convey values such as cohesion, discipline, tolerance and fair play," summarises Matthias Christ. Consequently, FSG also sees itself as a place of integration. In fact, origin or financial means are not a criterion for whether someone can join FSG. "Anyone who wants to play football will find their place here," promises Andreas Kahlkopf.