Georges Michaud: "If the heart of sport is volunteers, it beats ever weaker now"

In an interview with the Tageblatt newspaper, Luxembourg's Sports Minister Georges Mischo admitted that the country's sports sector is in crisis. Despite a growing population, fewer and fewer people are willing to participate in sports clubs on a long-term basis.

According to the minister, more and more often clubs are held on the enthusiasm of single people, who after 20 or 40 years of voluntary work quite legitimately leave - and then the whole structure collapses. "When the club ceases to function normally inside, the members leave," he emphasises.

There are several reasons: lack of time, family and professional commitments, loss of identity with the club, especially if the players are not local. The rapid turnover of generations and cases of aggression in youth sport are also not conducive to involvement. But most importantly, as the Minister recognises: "The heart of sport is volunteering. If it stops beating, we face big problems.

Georges Michaud is betting on a "subside qualité plus" reform that will apply not only to the under-16s but to all club members - up to the age of 99, as he puts it. An additional €13.6 million in funding is planned for 2025 to allow clubs to hire professional coaches and administrators.

The minister is also calling for greater use of sports leave (congé sportif) - only 6,425 days were granted in 2024, which he says is "almost nothing". A new reform will be drawn up by 2027 to include international referees, for example.

Michaud suggests that the role of "sportkoordinator", who will inform clubs about available subsidies and help on the ground, should be more actively introduced. The state covers 80% of the coordinator's salary for the first 3 years, then the rate is reduced.

However, the minister admits: 900 of the 1,300 clubs still have not applied for subsidies, although the money is available. "The forms are not complicated, but there is not enough information flow," he says. He also suggested creating a bonus card system modelled on Leipzig, where volunteers get discounts for hours of help.

Recent studies have shown: the typical volunteer is a man over 60 years old. Younger people choose family and work. The Minister notes: "We will not invent a bicycle. This problem is faced in other countries as well.

Michaud aims to professionalise clubs - even small ones with 200 members. In addition, an increase in the tax-free remuneration for volunteers - from €5,000 to €7,500 a year - is being discussed. But he emphasises: "It's not about money. Volunteering should come from a desire to be useful."