Voluntary Workers

The German word for voluntary work is "Ehrenamt," which literally translates to "honorary post." It is a highly valued "post" which is done by a volunteer and is not geared towards payment. It is carried out for a period of time and it is focussed on the common good. Ordinary people actively and voluntarily get involved in efforts of achieving a common goal. Such "honorary posts" can be with sports clubs as well as with fire brigades, charity institutions, kindergartens, courts, in elections; they can be politically, socially or culturally motivated. One in every three Germans is involved in some kind of such voluntary work, and that is why it is said, that German society is not thinkable without those "honorary posts."

One special project based on such voluntary work has been completed only last week: The soccer club 1. FC Union Berlin has finished the refurbishment and reconstruction of its soccer stadium last July 7.

Dating back to 1906 and seated in Berlin Treptow-Köpenik, a district in the former Eastern part of Berlin and thus under GDR government, FC Union has - like Herta BSC Berlin - ever since been a cult club. FC Union has a stadium at the old forester's office (Alte Försterei), but that stadium never met the demands of the secondary national league. If ever they wanted to promote to that league, costly improvements would be needed.

The club however was never able to provide enough funds for such purpose, nor did the City of Berlin. So what happened was the fans began to take up that concern. The fans made their move; they got up from their seats, stood up and offered their man power. They provided their time, their work, their strength and their force, and they did that as volunteers. They made the issue their issue, and as they declared their solidarity, identified even with their club FC Union, they made the reconstruction and the refurbishment their concern. They came whenever their jobs allowed them to be on the building site. Some even made it to have their employers agree to special contract amendments so they were given permit to also - aside of their regular jobs - work on the reconstruction site of their stadium.

So about a year ago they were organized under supervision of Sylvia Weisheit, a professional project manager for such construction work. In an interview with Katrin Bräuer she said: "No matter which job they have, every single one of the guys adapts well and does exactly what he is expected to do." Sylvia Weisheit is considered the "Angel of Union." She organizes the bunch of men, the work days, the materials, the building site. She is one of the only seven skilled labourers paid for this job. "It is my assignment to organize the entire project, so the building site never gets to be at any standstill. I am the one to keep the fans motivated, as otherwise nothing would move on."

And the fans listen to her. Sylvia Weisheit is the woman in the men's world, and she is accepted as such. She, the boss, has been a FC Union fan herself: "I am linked to Union since 1977. I was standing in Block M in 1977 for the first time in my life."

Even the soccer team is united to the fans; today more than ever before. They exercise every day just next door to the building site. Union's trainer Uwe Neuhaus says: "This is unique throughout Germany. The team well knows how closely linked to the club the fans are. This club is indeed special and the fans are demonstrating this in a very impressing way."

And then came July 7, the day when finally FC Union Berlin and Herta BSC Berlin were celebrating the re-opening of the new "old stadium at the old forester's office" in Berlin Treptow-Köpenik. "King Football" reigned over the crowd of 19 000 after 8.30PM. The celebration was on, and the mob was in ecstasies. The match ended Union - Herta: 3:5, but nobody really cared. The issue was not to win or to lose, but to celebrate the reopening of the renewed, modernized soccer arena. The celebration was on solidarity, on the readiness to sacrifice for a common goal, the willingness of ordinary individuals to stand up and take up what was needed to be done. The joy was over the fans' power to move the world a little. And these ordinary people made it and thus they rejoiced over what they had achieved by carrying out their voluntary work, their "honorary posts." That was celebrated on July 7. That was after the match proclaimed to the world and the Köpenik night sky with colourful fireworks.