The Baden Volleys clearly lost 3-0 in the Volleyball Cup against record champions VfB Friedrichshafen. For the second division club from Karlsruhe it was about more than just the game.
It’s the third set in the round of 16 of the cup between the Baden Volleys and VfB Friedrichshafen. The Baden Volleys make the point to 10:7 in the meantime and the whole hall trembles as if the Karlsruhe team had just won the cup. “There’s that thing,” the hall announcer yells into the microphone, and in the tiers of the Lina-Radke-Halle the spectators throw their arms up.
In the end, the Baden Volleys lose the set 24:26 and with it the game. 0:3 against the reigning cup winner and record champion from Friedrichshafen. The players and the team around coach Antonio Bonelli are disappointed. But only briefly.
Cup game as a test for the 1st Bundesliga
“It was a great event,” says Jens Sandmeier and smiles. He doesn’t want to dwell on his athletic performance for long. “We knew that if they played normally, we didn’t stand a chance. It’s still Friedrichshafen.” For the captain of the Baden Volleys, however, one thing is certain: his club has proven that he can host major events. “That’s important for the 1st league and potential sponsors.”
“We knew that if they played normally, we didn’t stand a chance. It’s still Friedrichshafen.”
At the end of October, the Karlsruhe volleyball team officially announced that they would like to be promoted to the 1st Volleyball Bundesliga in the coming season. The team, the department and the SSC Karlsruhe club took a long time to take this step. But now there is only one direction – and that is forward. “We’ll pull through,” says coach Antonio Bonelli.
Karlsruhe volleyball players have to at least double their budget
In terms of sport, the team would have qualified for the upper house last season as champions of the 2nd Bundesliga South. What was missing was the money and enough sponsors. The club wants to ensure this in the coming months. “We had a full house in the VIP lounge today,” says Bonelli happily. This shows that there is interest in politics and business.
The Baden Volleys would have to at least double their current annual budget of around 170,000 euros for the 1st Bundesliga, says department head Diego Ronconi. “These are actually small numbers compared to other sports. That’s why we’re confident that we can do it.”
The people of Karlsruhe also have reason to be happy when it comes to venues. The modern Lina Radke Hall can also be used for big games in the future. According to Ronconi, there is a good exchange with the city of Karlsruhe and the basketball players of the PSK Lions, who normally play here. The previous hall at the Otto-Hahn-Gymansium no longer meets the demands of the volleyball players. A separate hall has been in the planning for years, but will not be ready until 2024 at the earliest.
Many spectators for the first time at a volleyball game
After the game there was a lot of praise for the team and the event from all sides. “The mood was a thousand times better than in the hall at the Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium,” says a young viewer. Volleys coach Antonio Bonelli returns the praise: “The spectators were almost ready for the Champions League!” Not only in the VIP lounge, but also in the rest of the hall, many visitors are attending a volleyball game for the first time. “It wasn’t the last time” is often heard.
