Record-Breaking Growth in German Sports Club Memberships in 2025

German sports clubs have reached a historic milestone as of January 1, 2025, surpassing 29.3 million members, marking a 2.18% increase of over half a million from the previous year, according to the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) (138929, 138931). This growth continues a trend from a decade-high of nearly 28 million in 2023 and the record set in 2024, reinforcing organized sports under the DOSB as the largest civic movement in Germany.

Football remains the dominant sport with over 8 million members, contributing nearly 300,000 new participants. Other popular sports such as gymnastics, tennis, and athletics also added to the net gain of around 380,000 memberships. Interestingly, smaller sports like darts, cheerleading, and dancing showed notable growth, though some sports including cricket, judo, fencing, equestrian disciplines, and the Bob and Skeleton Federation experienced membership declines, with cricket’s numbers dropping by more than half (138929, 138931).

Regionally, Hamburg stands out with the highest growth rate at 4.56%, reaching 582,913 members—a remarkable figure supported by major clubs like Hamburger SV and FC St. Pauli which added nearly 20,000 new members combined. Youth involvement is particularly strong, with Hamburg’s children aged 0-6 and 7-14 showing a 5.6% increase, exceeding the national growth rates of 4.1% and 4.58% in these age brackets respectively. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg also reported robust growth, while Bremen had the smallest membership base and growth (138931, 138933).

Despite these successes, challenges remain. The number of sports clubs has stabilized with a slight net loss of only twelve clubs, reflecting a trend toward professionalization. However, the quality of sports facilities is a concern, with nearly one in five clubs facing issues from deteriorating infrastructure. Volunteer recruitment and retention pose further difficulties—over one in six clubs feel threatened by a lack of volunteers (138929, 138933).

DOSB President Thomas Weikert emphasized the vital role of sports clubs in promoting health, respect, fair play, and social cohesion, and called for greater political investment to support infrastructure improvements and volunteerism. He highlighted the promised “Sportmilliarde,” a funding initiative aimed at modernizing sports facilities and easing bureaucratic challenges (138929, 138931, 138933).