Support for the 2nd Bundesliga Pro

Stadtwerke Gießen and the women's Bundesliga team of TV 05 Waldgirmes are working together for another two years.

Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Leverkusen or Dresden - the volleyball players of TV 05 Waldgirmes will be competing in these major German cities in the coming season. To play exciting matches in the 2nd Bundesliga Pro with the teams based there. In fact, after an outstanding season in the 2nd Bundesliga South, the first women's team of TV Waldgirmes was promoted to the second-highest German league. As a sponsor, Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) has played its part in this sporting success, which naturally creates a great atmosphere in the club. After all, promotion is the result of years of consistent hard work. But to survive in the single-track 2nd Bundesliga Pro, you not only need high-performing players and a dedicated coaching and support staff, but also significantly more money. A look at the distances to be travelled alone makes this clear. This is not only reflected in higher travelling costs. "If the players are to perform at their best in Berlin or Stralsund, they have to travel the day before," explains Friedhelm Rücker, manager of the volleyball department at TV 05 Waldgirmes, adding: "Reliable sponsors like SWG are more important to us than ever. We are therefore very grateful that we can plan for another two years with their support."

The cooperation with the Waldgirmes women's volleyball team goes back to 2020. At that time, the team was still playing in the divided 2nd Bundesliga, the third-highest German league. "The collaboration was always highly professional. And obviously successful. We are delighted to be part of such a development," explains Ulli Boos, company spokesperson for SWG, on the occasion of the signing of the contract.

Special conditions

However, the extension of the partnership for a further two years is not only due to the sporting success. "We are particularly impressed by the down-to-earth manner in which the club goes about its work," says Ulli Boos, citing the decisive argument. The concept, which is consistently geared towards sustainable development, is now also paying off in the 2nd Bundesliga Pro. This is because relatively strict licence requirements apply here - especially when it comes to promoting young German players: six of the maximum twelve players who compete must have completed their volleyball training in Germany, and at least two of them must not be older than 23. TV 05 Waldgirmes easily fulfils both requirements. "Everyone in our team learnt to play volleyball in Germany. Many of them even learned at our club," says Dr Rita Beerboom, who is responsible for marketing at the club, describing the situation. The age requirement also poses no problems for the club. The average age of the Bundesliga team is 24. This is due to the fact that the coaches are constantly bringing young talent up from their own youth ranks and carefully integrating them into the first team. Before the youngsters from the youth section join the top team, the players usually gain experience in the regional league team of TV 05 Waldgirmes. Here they can get used to the noticeably higher level of performance in an adult team.

Keyword youth work: At TV 05 Waldgirmes, this is incorporated into the Youngvolleys - a co-operation with TV Wetzlar, which is explicitly aimed at all interested girls and boys. "Not everyone who enjoys playing volleyball wants to play competitive sport. And we also want to make attractive offers to this much larger group of people," says Dr Rita Beerboom.

TV 05 Waldgirmes proves that popular and competitive sports are not mutually exclusive, but can - on the contrary - complement each other. "This mixture makes TV 05 Waldgirmes the ideal partner for us and we are looking forward to an exciting season with them," summarises Ulli Boos. There will be an opportunity to watch a top-class volleyball match right at the start of the season: on 20 September, TV Dingolfing will play their first home match in the sports hall of the Lahntalschule in Atzbach. At 8pm sharp, the blue and yellow patterned ball will fly over the net for the first time in the new era. Information on the other match days of the 2025/2026 season and tickets can be found at www.tv-waldgirmes.de