District day of the Kempen-Krefeld football group: honors and new elections!

District day of the Kempen-Krefeld football group: honors and new elections!

On Friday, May 6, 2025, the district council of the Kempen-Krefeld football group took place. At the meeting, 51 out of a total of 63 clubs with representatives were present, which illustrates the great participation in the current developments in the football group. Long -time employees of the football association were honored during the meeting. Gaby Stopka received the association's silver needle for her 15 years in the youth sports court. Fred Rabeneck was awarded the golden needle for 25 years in the district sports court.

An important point on the agenda was the re -election of the board. Jürgen Hendricks remains the first chairman, Werner Gatz continues to run the business as managing director, and Tim Pelzer remains treasurer. Hubert Hinrichs will continue to lead the football committee, supported by Michaela Stiel and Martin Rauh as assessors. Andreas Kotira was confirmed as chairman of the referee committee, while Reiner Hohn remains the chairman of the sports court.

honors and farewell

As part of the honors, some farewells must also be mentioned. Klaus Trienes, who worked for 42 years in the youth sports court, and Heinz-Peter Franken, who worked for 40 years in the district referee committee, were passed from their offices.

Also on Friday evening, the farewell of Willi Wittmann took place in the Kolpinghaus in Kempen, who played an outstanding role as chairman of the district of Kempen/Krefeld. Peter Frymuth, the President of the Football Association Niederrhein (FVN), and the deputy mayor of Kempen, Otto Birkmann, were among the guests of honor.

Willi Wittmann, who was elected chairman on April 1, 1994, opened the evening with a speech that was considered with standing ovation. After eight election periods, he resigned from his office at the age of 79 and turns 80 in September. Wittmann, who has been active in football on the Niederrhein for around 60 years and worked as a referee from 1960 to 2005, emphasized the good cooperation and the solutions of common problems. He campaigned for Fair Play in football.

The new chairman

Jürgen Hendricks was elected as the new chairman with a large majority. The 56-year-old IT department head plans to build on Wittmann's work and thus took over an intact district structure. Wittmann was also unanimously appointed honorary chairman of the district. Werner Gatz, who will retire after 25 years as a referee chairman, remains active in his function as managing director.

These developments illustrate the importance of volunteering in sport. A brochure of the German Olympic Sports Association (DOSB) emphasizes the role of over 8.75 million members in German sports clubs, of which 1.75 million are active in management positions. The clubs are recommended to take new paths in commitment funding and to take more attention to the wishes of their members in order to successfully master future challenges in organized sport. The Kempen-Krefeld district council could serve as a model for other associations.