Many people will wonder what a section called “Freizeit” – free time – is doing in a sports club. To explain, we need to go back a little further into the club’s history.
SC Ferlach is and always has been keen not to let the camaraderie and the fun of sport take a back seat in a sports club. These are exactly the values the recreational section stands for:
What began in 1963 as a multi-sport club with one section has developed over the last 50 years into a professional sports operation in which performance often has to take priority over fun. Yet SC Ferlach is and always has been keen not to let the camaraderie and the fun of sport take a back seat in a sports club.
The “Freizeitler”, as they call themselves, came together as a group about 30 years ago, made up of former active handball, volleyball and basketball players. At that time some of our members stood at a crossroads between competitive sport and simply staying fit, which led to regular get-togethers at the secondary school to play basketball and volleyball as a leisure activity. The fact that this was done without stress or any obligation – first and foremost for fun – ultimately gave the group its name: the “Freizeitsektion”, the free-time section.
People soon realised that these regular sports sessions were bringing old friends and acquaintances back together – and everyone loved it!!! “Gripped by sporting ambition”, the activities were extended to indoor football, where first the handball old boys and later other new members too would no longer miss their Sunday evening session for anything.
And so it has remained to this day: even though some of the long-standing members may have “got on a bit” and have since discovered other hobbies, their contact with the recreational section is still their link to SC Ferlach. Together with a few “junior Freizeitler”, the section has grown steadily from then until now. Among them you will find our own karateka, former Ferlach footballers and people from the region – and some even travel all the way from Klagenfurt to Ferlach!
The recreational section now also sees itself as co-organiser of various SC Ferlach events, most notably the popular mixed handball tournament, the Red Noses Run and the traditional participation in the Ferlach carnival parade.
Running and hiking tours across all sections, Christmas parties, summer parties and birthday celebrations also contribute to club life, and taking part in tournaments hosted by friendly clubs in Izola, Duplje (SLO) and Traun is as legendary as it is unforgettable…!
As the link between all the other sections, the “Freizeitler” often act in the interest of the club as a whole and bring all members together at such events, keeping alive the founding idea of one of the last multi-sport clubs in the region.
Quite a few members of the section are also active today as coaches, volunteers, organisers or board members. These people play a major part in running the club and make a contribution – invisible to many outsiders – to the club’s future and to promoting sport among the young people of the Rosental.
The section’s name, “Freizeit” – free time – therefore takes on a completely different meaning: the personal dedication of one’s own free time to SC Ferlach. Even though it sometimes means stress, effort and a lot of work, the “old” members are always ready to get involved and, together with the active players, help keep the club running. And our success proves us all right – because today, after 50 years, our SC Ferlach is better positioned than ever: determined, forward-looking and with an ever-growing number of young, sports-mad members!
