Regular sporting events, large and small, an extremely diverse club scene and committed sports sponsorship make Düsseldorf a city of sport. This strengthens the economy in many ways.

UEFA EURO 2024, the men’s European Football Championship, will be history by the time you read this article. As one of ten host cities, Düsseldorf was an important part of this sporting mega-event. But long before UEFA EURO 2024, Düsseldorf was already presenting itself as a "City of Sport". Highlights in recent years include the Grand Départ of the Tour de France, the World Table Tennis Championships, the European Triathlon Championships (all in 2017) and the European Fencing Championships (2019). "In the last twelve months alone, we have experienced some very special highlights: the Finals, a multi-sport event where the German champions in eleven sports were crowned in our city in July 2023. Then, of course, there were the Invictus Games last September, an international and special sporting event for soldiers who have been injured or have permanent physical or mental disabilities as a result of their service. And in January, the opening game of the European Handball Championships, which set a world record for the number of spectators at a handball match in the MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA," explains city manager Burkhard Hintzsche, who is also Chairman of the Supervisory Board of D.LIVE and responsible for top-class sport in the state capital of Düsseldorf.

Burkhard Hintzsche, City Manager Düsseldorf

The enthusiasm for sport is also evident in other ways: according to D.SPORTS, a brand of the city's operating company D.LIVE, more than 100,000 athletes are organised in almost 400 clubs in Düsseldorf. In addition to the city's well-known top clubs, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Düsseldorfer Eislauf-Gemeinschaft DEG (multiple German ice hockey champions) and Borussia Düsseldorf (Europe's most successful table tennis club), there are numerous top teams in a wide range of sports: for example, ice hockey (DHC Women), American football (Panther and Rhein Fire) or basketball (Art Giants). Clubs from all walks of life - golf, sailing, judo, cricket, bowling, chess and so on - are also represented in the top national leagues. The fact that more and more foreign companies, especially from Asia, are setting up in Düsseldorf and enriching the city with their passion for sport, contributes to this great diversity.

Sitting volleyball at the Invictus Games, which were held in Düsseldorf for the first time in 2023.

There are more than 20 training centres and bases for various sports, such as the Fortuna Junior Training Centre and the German Table Tennis Centre (DTTZ), to promote this enormous potential. The latter centre is home to one of the city's most famous athletes: Timo Boll, the most successful German table tennis player of all time - and a star in China, the country of the table tennis world champions. "Borussia and the DTTZ are my sporting home, I have experienced great sporting highlights in my career in Düsseldorf," says the multiple European champion and former world number one. "Düsseldorf is a city of sport because the city looks after its clubs incredibly well and - unlike in other big cities - it's not primarily about professional football. At Borussia, we already enjoy the highest level of recognition and not the niche life that is usually associated with fringe sports," he explains.

Of course, for such comprehensive support to be possible, the framework conditions have to be right. City manager Burkhard Hintzsche describes these in Düsseldorf as follows: "The cooperation between the city administration and our event professionals from D.LIVE and D.SPORTS is very close. This enables us to offer the clubs, athletes and partners a framework that is optimally tailored to their needs. In addition, we have developed an extremely good instinct and are constantly on the lookout for new sports and trendy events that have potential and fit perfectly into our portfolio - and we are the first to give them a stage. Another important factor is our versatile and state-of-the-art venues. In Düsseldorf, we follow the "one-stop-shop " approach. " Major sporting events, such as the recent UEFA EURO 2024, are also an important economic factor for the city. In addition to sports enthusiasts, people from all over the world come to Düsseldorf to experience the events live - and boost spending power. In the age of social media, the promotional value of such events should not be underestimated. "The Invictus Games 2023 are a good example of this, as they were broadcast in 65 countries around the world. The sporting events put Düsseldorf in a unique spotlight, and the economic benefits often come later," Hintzsche says.

The biggest Venues in Düsseldorf

• MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA:

CAPACITY: 66,500 PEOPLE

INDOOR AREA: 10,500 SQM

• PSD BANK DOME:

CAPACITY: 15,151 PEOPLE

EVENT AREA: UP TO 2,400 SQM

• MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC HALL:

CAPACITY: 7,500 PEOPLE

INDOOR AREA: 3,300 SQM

• CASTELLO DÜSSELDORF:

CAPACITY: 3,300 PEOPLE

INDOOR AREA: 1,620 SQM

Quelle: www.d-live.de

Düsseldorf is home to top teams in many different disciplines, such as the American football players from Rhein Fire.

The city supports local businesses to get and keep their employees moving. For example, by encouraging company sports groups, providing information on healthy lifestyles or organising sports events and courses for companies. Many programmes are also run by the city's sports association (see https:// www.ssbduesseldorf.de/unsere-stadt-bewegen/aktuelles). By sponsoring sports on a large scale, many companies are also strengthening their own image and, at the same time, contributing to a sense of community in the city. "This is an important factor - not only for the external image, but also for the perception of the citizens. We want to bring sport into the city in a targeted way. The Uniper Düsseldorf Marathon, for example, which D.SPORTS will be organising from 2025, is a run for the whole population with one of the largest company runs in Germany," explains Burkhard Hintzsche.

SPORT IN THE PARK

There are also numerous attractive offers, support programmes and sports facilities for sports enthusiasts. "The "Sport in the Park" project, for example, offers free health and fitness training for citizens of all ages. The project is aimed at people with and without disabilities," explains Burkhard Hintzsche. The summer season runs until 6 October 2024. More information is available atWWW.DUESSELDORF.DE/SPORTAMT/SPORT-IM-PARK

After UEFA EURO 2024, the next highlights are already on the horizon. Messe Düsseldorf will once again manage the German house at the Summer Olympics in Paris from the end of July to the beginning of September 2024, thus creating an important platform for the athletes. In addition, a total of 10,000 participants and officials from more than 170 countries are expected in Düsseldorf and the cities of Bochum, Duisburg, Essen and Mülheim an der Ruhr for the "World University Games" 2025. Plans and preparations are also already in full swing for the 2027 Ice Hockey World Championships, where the PSD BANK DOME will be one of the two venues and the place where the medals will be decided. But it is also the recurring events such as the ISTAF INDOOR athletics meeting in the winter or the Handball Super Cup in the summer that are constantly being developed together and consolidate our status as a city of sport," says Burkhard Hintzsche proudly. Düsseldorf is simply "unstoppable".

FORTUNA FOR ALL
Free entry to home games - whether for members, season ticket holders or just Fortuna fans: that's the idea behind ''Fortuna for all''. The aim is to make first-class football possible again and to get more Düsseldorfers behind the club. Fortuna Düsseldorf is the first Bundesliga club to test this model, initially in individual home matches in the 2023/2024 season, made possible by sponsors Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Targobank and Common Goal. The first pilot season is currently being evaluated.•

Words: Tom Corrinth
Pictures: Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf, Joern Pollex, Sports2Business GmbH, D.SPORTS/Kenny Beele

Unstoppable: A City of Sport