The Hennef Sports School opened its doors to hundreds of visitors, who toured the various rooms and sports facilities on the open day and let off steam in the diverse sports and hands-on program, completed the sports school join-in rally, won attractive prizes and got to know the official mascot of the Hennef Sports School, the raccoon “Henni Sieger”, who is now the new animal ambassador for the sports school.
Celebration with prominent guests
FVM President Christos Katzidis (l.), DFB President Bernd Neuendorf (m.) and Sports School Director Sascha Hendrich-Bächer (r.) at the 75th anniversary ceremony.
The day’s festivities kicked off with a ceremony in the morning, which was attended by numerous guests from the worlds of sport, politics and society. Among others, the District Administrator of the Rhein-Sieg district Sebastian Schuster, the Mayor of Hennef Mario Dahm, DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and FVM President Christos Katzidis personally congratulated the sports school on its 75th anniversary.
“Welcome to the most beautiful sports school in the world,” said Christos Katzidis, President of the Central Rhine Football Association, welcoming the guests to the 75th anniversary celebration of the Hennef Sports School. With a wink, he referred to the speech by the current Honorary President Alfred Vianden, who opened the 65th anniversary celebrations ten years ago – at that time still as acting President of the association – with the phrase “Europe’s most beautiful sports school”. Katzidis added: “We have a great team here in Hennef – both full-time and voluntary. That’s why I am convinced that we have developed even further in recent years.” At the time, Vianden had referred to an article in the newspaper “Sportbeobachter”, which described the Hennef Sports School as “Europe’s most beautiful sports school” – a title that the Hennef Sports School carries with pride and a twinkle in its eye.
Bernd Neuendorf, who was closely associated with the sports school in Hennef during his time as NRW State Secretary and then as President of the FVM, praised the facility as an important place for German soccer and also for himself personally: “The sports school in Hennef was a central and really exciting place for me for many years during my professional and voluntary work. I associate it not only with numerous events, inspiring encounters and exciting discussions, but also with the feeling of being part of a community. This anniversary is therefore a particularly emotional moment for me. In view of the truly outstanding conditions that the sports school offers, the DFB will certainly continue to carry out measures and initiatives on this wonderful and idyllic site in the future.”
Sebastian Schuster, District Administrator of the Rhein-Sieg district, answered the question at the ceremony as to what the Hennef Sports School means to him: “The Hennef Sports School was already an important facility for me as a footballer and it still is for the Rhein-Sieg district. What sets it apart is that it has opened up more and more in recent years and is now also a popular congress and conference center outside of sport. The social commitment of the Hennef Sports School is particularly valuable for the district, for example by hosting the Ukrainian soccer team after the start of the war against Ukraine.” District Administrator Schuster also promised “that the Hennef Sports School will continue to play an important role in marketing the Rhein-Sieg district to tourists in the future.” Schuster signaled the special significance of this with the presentation of a painting made especially for the occasion by a local artist.
1,900 active stamps collected: Sports school join-in rally for all
The heart of the day was the diverse hands-on program with 16 activities, which was organized by a total of 13 regional clubs with great commitment. They were all part of the sports school join-in rally, in which visitors collected points with every activity they completed – at the end, attractive prizes were up for grabs depending on the number of points. Numerous sports – including table tennis, tennis, handball, boxing, archery, triathlon and golf – invited visitors to try them out and provided exercise and enthusiasm for young and old.
One of the 16 active stations: Wrestling
The Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM) was also actively represented and offered a mini goal station and walking football. Those who braved the autumnal temperatures were able to take a cold dip in the in-house outdoor pool. The mascot Henni, who was introduced at the open day, also proved that raccoons are versatile and extremely sporty – at least those from the Hennef Sports School. As a brand ambassador, she not only played her way into the hearts of the visitors at the activity stations, but also collected plenty of stamps along the way.
Raccoon at dizzying heights: Henni tries out a variety of sports and diligently collects stamps with her activities at the sports school join-in rally.
Sascha Hendrich-Bächer, Head of the Hennef Sports School, was impressed by the response:
“Almost 1900 stamps were awarded on the Open Day – this means that our visitors completed a correspondingly large number of active stations during the Open Day. That is outstanding and testifies to the enthusiasm for sport in our region. And if you took a closer look around, you were sure to spot Henni, our official sports school mascot, on the grounds. Whether on the climbing wall, playing handball, lifting weights or playing table tennis, Henni delighted young and old alike with her friendly, sporty appearance. We are delighted to be able to welcome Henni to our school with immediate effect.”
Henni Sieger, the new sports school mascot, is ceremoniously introduced by Sascha Hendrich-Bächer, the director of the Hennef Sports School, to the visitors of the colorful hands-on program on the grounds of the sports school.
Insights behind the scenes
In addition to the sports program, regular guided tours of the grounds offered exciting insights into the infrastructure of the sports school. Visitors explored the modern sports facilities and special halls, conference rooms, guest rooms and technical facilities and learned more about the history and development of the facility, which has been firmly anchored in the region for 75 years. “The offer was extremely well received; we hadn’t expected so much interest in our facilities. But we are all the more pleased that people are also enthusiastic about the diverse infrastructure of the sports school,” said Hendrich-Bächer.
The Hennef Sports School, a place with a history – and a future
“The numerous visitors, the lively participation of the clubs and the positive atmosphere made it clear that the Hennef Sports School is a lively place with a history – and a future,” summarized Hendrich-Bächer. “Anyone who doesn’t want to wait until the next open day to visit can secure a place at special events such as Easter brunch, asparagus buffet or goose dinner or book the Hennef Sports School as a location for private celebrations such as birthdays or weddings. We look forward to welcoming Hennef residents to the sports school in the future too.”
Henni Sieger joins in the celebrations: At the Hennef Sports School’s 75th anniversary celebrations, there is cake not only for the humans, but also for the animal guests.
More on the topic:
Those interested can read the FVM’s follow-up report on the soccer station here.
