Jena is a great place to do sport

The conditions for playing sport in Jena are rated positively by the population. This is one of the results of the survey on sports development planning, which is now available. In order to find out more about the sporting behavior of Jena residents, 10,000 randomly selected people received a questionnaire on sports development. In addition, a questionnaire tailored to the recipients was sent to all sports clubs in the city and all schools. "The data collection is now complete, so we have reached an important milestone. The feedback, which compares favorably with other municipalities, concerns both the number and the condition of our sports facilities in Jena. The continuous investment in new construction and renovation in recent years is bearing fruit," says Head of Sports Benjamin Koppe, who, together with the sports department, the school administration, KIJ, the city sports association and the commissioned Institute for Cooperative Planning and Sports Development (IKPS), has drawn an initial balance and conclusions for the further process.

In terms of available sports space per resident, Jena is in line with the national average for outdoor facilities and even above average for sports halls. "However, the overall positive results are no reason for us to sit back and relax, as there are sports infrastructure challenges, especially in the north, west and center of Jena," emphasizes Koppe. "Now it's about drawing the right conclusions from the data." The update of the sports development plan is scheduled for the years 2025 to 2035.

What do citizens say about sport in Jena?

The results: 91 percent of the citizens surveyed stated that they are active. They not only rated the quality of the sports facilities positively, but also the range of sports offered by clubs and commercial providers. Self-organized sports such as cycling, running and gymnastics are particularly popular in Jena. The sports of volleyball, hiking and climbing are particularly popular in Jena - and significantly more so than in other municipalities. However, the existing cycle paths were rated critically. In addition, over 70 percent of respondents would like to see more opportunities for exercise close to home - especially for children.

Encouraging development in the number of sports club members

The figures for the survey of sports clubs are particularly pleasing: around 27,600 people are members of a sports club - that corresponds to 25 percent of the population. "This puts us even above the pre-corona level," emphasizes Matthias Weißbrodt, Sports Development Officer for the City of Jena. Over the past five years, Jena's sports clubs have gained around 3,000 new members. Almost all clubs in almost all sports have been able to grow. 66 percent of the citizens surveyed also stated that they exercise individually.

"The survey shows that the clubs rate the quality of the sports facilities in Jena better on average than clubs in other municipalities. However, it was criticized that there is not always enough free capacity available - both outdoors and indoors - especially in winter," Weißbrodt continued. The biggest problem mentioned was that it was becoming increasingly difficult to recruit volunteers - both as trainers and as officials on club committees. However, approaches for action can also be derived from the expansion of cooperation, particularly with Jena schools and the regulation of sports facility occupancy.

Schools give positive feedback on the quality of sports facilities

Feedback from schools shows that the existing sports facilities are rated very positively. "The fact that the basic conditions are good shows the good and continuous work of recent years," says Wolfgang Schabert, Managing Director of IKPS, which is overseeing the entire process. This is also confirmed by sports officer Vanessa Baum, who already accompanied the last sports development plan in 2015 and refers to the high degree of implementation of the measures agreed there. The schools also expressed a desire for better planning of the utilization of the sports facilities. It is pleasing to note that around 90 percent of boys and girls in Jena can swim after primary school. This speaks for a good swimming situation, said Schabert.

The next steps

Every municipality in Thuringia is obliged to draw up a sports development plan every ten years. This sets out the strategic direction of sport, sports infrastructure and sports funding. The current plan for Jena dates back to 2015 and is now being updated. A 30-member planning group will now evaluate the data collected and use it to formulate specific goals and recommendations for sports development planning over the next ten years. The first meeting is planned for mid-April. The process should be completed by the end of 2024.

Important topics will include developing concepts to strengthen voluntary work in sports clubs, redesigning public spaces to encourage physical activity and making the process of allocating sports facilities and sports funding more transparent, straightforward and digital.