Basketball Bundesliga club BG Göttingen has had a Corona season without spectators, but is now cautiously optimistic about the upcoming BBL season. In the Tageblatt summer interview with editor-in-chief Frerk Schenker and sports director Andreas Fuhrmann, Veilchen managing director Frank Meinertshagen explains how the plans for the coming season are, why, in his opinion, there is no alternative to a larger arena and what the biggest hurdles are for player commitments.
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Frerk Schenker: Some of the EM stadiums were full, Mr Weil says: We too can imagine that maybe in Hanover at 96 the stadium will be full again in the near future. What about you?
Frank Meinertshagen: There is a relatively recent decision by the federal states that up to 50 percent of the maximum capacity is permitted. However, we cannot accommodate 50 percent in the hall with the appropriate spacing. After September 11th there will be a new regulation and one has to look at how the incidence figures develop by then and how important the incidence is then. In the background there is actually a lot of negotiation about what will happen to the audience, but there is still no decision. I find it hard to imagine that no spectators will be admitted at all.
Frerk Schenker: What would be the worst scenario for you?
Frank Meinertshagen: In the short term and purely financially, no viewers would not be a huge problem. On the contrary. If we are allowed to let in part of the capacity, the costs incurred are higher than the ticket revenues. The problem is that we completely alienate the fans and spectators from our sport. We are selling an emotional product. If you haven’t had an audience in the hall for a year and a half, it’s difficult to sell emotions.
