The Sports Club: A Timeless Classic or a Thing of the Past?

The Sports Club: Evergreen or on the Way Out?

On May 22, 2025, to mark the 100th anniversary of PTSV Aachen, the Aachener Zeitung hosted the AZ Forum on the topic “The Sports Club – Evergreen or Obsolete?”

The panel discussion was divided into three thematic blocks and featured prominent figures from Aachen’s sports world. For the topic of “Community,” the moderators spoke with Markus Krieger, managing director of PTSV Aachen; Markus Pütz (chairman of Dürener TV); and Silke Mertens, managing director of the judo department. The discussion focused on the role of clubs in society, their challenges, and the issues they face.

In the second segment, the discussion focused on the municipal network. The panel for this session included Nadine Frey, managing director of the Aachen City Sports Association; Markus Kremer, Aachen’s sports commissioner; and Dr. Axel Kupfer from the Institute of Movement and Neuroscience at the German Sport University Cologne. The discussion addressed the significance of club sports in Germany. In particular, the social and health-related functions, as well as the role and necessity of sports as the largest educational actor in Germany, were highlighted.

Finally, volleyball player Sophia Fallah (Ladies in Black), Erik Wudtke (assistant coach of the German national handball team), and Aachen-based diver Alexander Lube discussed the status of competitive sports in and around Aachen.

The entire panel discussion can be viewed here as a replay.