Apart from the two records, there is currently little going on at TSV Langstadt’s Bundesliga home games in the Eckehard-Colmar-Halle.
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TSV Langstadt should actually be on cloud nine at the moment: The Babenhausen district club is leading the women’s table tennis Bundesliga during the winter break and has won the unofficial title of autumn champion with 9: 3 points at the end of the first half of the season. “We played very consistently and did a great job,” says team manager Manfred Kämmerer. To then cite the big but: “But we are not used to these ghost games at all.”
Langstadt – Even the first two home games of the season were allowed to play the Langstadt women in front of only 80 spectators due to the corona. Usually more than 200 fans come to the Eckehard-Colmar-Halle for top games. The TSV could now fill a three-digit number of places with season tickets alone, but is not allowed to. “And the current ghost games are again one step below,” regrets Kämmerer.
Because in home games three and four, apart from the players, officials and media representatives, nobody was allowed in the hall. Where the fans of top table tennis usually sit and stand close together and create a good atmosphere between the rallies, there are currently only a handful of chairs. Sadness with great performances by Petrissa Solja, Dina Meshref, Tanja Krämer and Franziska Schreiner at the two tables. Where by the way, as in all table tennis classes, no doubles are allowed this season.
During their duels, the TSV players hide the special situation successfully and victoriously, but Kämmerer emphasizes: “The pushing by the spectators is what the players lack. They miss that, they say that too. ”Nevertheless, this season, which in the best case scenario (play-offs including the finals) would last into May, is no longer a full house. “The first home game of the new year, on January 16 against Kolbermoor, will definitely take place again without any spectators,” Kämmerer also knows. On March 13th, the home team will face Schwabhausen, and in April the knockout games will begin with at least one more home appearance by the Langstadt women. Even then, in the best case, a reduced number of visitors can be expected.
Those who are currently not allowed into the hall can follow the home encounters at least partially on YouTube. Partly because TSV only broadcasts the game live at one of the two tables there. Those who are in the hall, on the other hand, can look back and forth between the parallel encounters. An online ticket costs four euros. “We have already sold some of them, more than 50, but less than 200,” Kämmerer said, remaining vague about the number.
It is clear that top-level table tennis on the screen is not an equivalent substitute for the experience in the hall, nor should it be. TSV Langstadt is simply trying to make the best of the challenging situation. Which he does well not only athletically but also financially. The latter has to do with the continued commitment of the loyal club sponsors, some of whom have been around for years, “and we have already confirmed that we are going to do the next season,” says Kämmerer happily.
In addition, the Bundesliga team has applied for funding from the federal government, which wants to support professional sports such as handball, basketball, table tennis or, to an extreme degree, ice hockey, which are heavily dependent on audience income (unlike the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga). According to Manfred Kämmerer, the federal funds have not yet flowed to Langstadt, “but we are expecting a little something”. (By Jens Dörr)
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