Handover of funding to SSC Jena

It was 2003 when the SSC (Sport- und Sozial Club Jena) took over the then neglected grounds on Theobald-Renner-Straße. Over the past 20 years, the club has steadily developed the site and, thanks in particular to Lars Schmidt's special touch, transformed it into this gem, which is rightly described as one of the most beautiful field hockey facilities in Central Germany.

Since then, around 2 million euros have been invested in the maintenance and expansion of the facility. If the city or the KIJ (Kommunale Immobilien Jena) had had to take on this task alone, it would have cost well over 4 million, according to estimates. A great deal of commitment from the members, which has flowed into the facility in the form of an almost infinite amount of working hours and unpaid support for the association, has made this possible. The association has also contributed financially. In total, over these 20 years, more than
750,000 euros have flowed into the facility. Of course, many reliable partners are also needed to reach the 2 million mentioned above. In particular, the LSB (State Sports Association) of Thuringia, the city of Jena and the lessor KIJ were the most constant and important ones.

LSB and city together give over €140,000 for sports space on the SSC grounds

Last Sunday, 10.09.2023, the cheque was handed over for the renovation of the last asbestos roof on our facility and the changing rooms of the sports room. This is rented out by SSC Jena to clubs in the city on an hourly basis to provide them with sports space, which is usually difficult to find in Jena. The USV boxers and kickboxers have been based on Theobald-Renner-Straße since 2014. However, the condition of the roof has deteriorated extremely in recent years and the areas used as changing rooms no longer meet current standards in any way, and it is also the last of the three buildings on the site that still has an old asbestos roof.

At the beginning of 2022, the SSC Jena Executive Committee decided not to demolish the building, but to aim for a resource-saving conversion of the existing building. This was followed by many discussions with various interest groups and in particular Vanessa Baum from the city of Jena and Kevin Fischer from the Thuringia State Sports Association. Last Sunday, the club was able to reap the rewards of the excellent work carried out by the architectural firm Bauer und Pohl Projekte International and our building committee. LSB Vice President Lutz Scherf and Deputy Chairwoman of the City Sports Association Dr. Gudrun Lukin handed over a symbolic cheque for €102,070 from LSB Thuringia to our Vice President Alexander Schlenzig. The club was also delighted to receive €40,000 from the City of Jena, which was represented by Guntram Wothly, Chairman of the Urban Development Committee, Volker Blumentritt, Mayor of Neulobeda, and Vanessa Baum, Sports Commissioner for the City of Jena. The club still has a whopping 60,000 euros to spend on this major project, but thanks to the club's good financial management, this has already been budgeted for.

In the future, the renovated building will provide a new home not only for the USV but also for other clubs, in particular midwives (antenatal and sports courses) and children's sports. Interested parties are welcome to contact the association's office in this regard.

This symbolic handover of the cheque for the club's sports facility was embedded in two successful field hockey matches for the club. The club's men defended their lead in the Central German Oberliga against ESV Dresden with a 3:1 win and the male U16 team reached the final of the Central German championship with a 12:0 win against Blau Weiß Torgau.