In the volunteer editorial team, volunteers for Chemnitz 2025 publish reports on their experiences, assignments and adventures around the European Capital of Culture.
Kerstin is 59 years old and works as an office communications clerk. Born in Burgstadt, she is a volunteer at various Chemnitz 2025 events, including the countdown to the European Capital of Culture year together with Lord Mayor Sven Schulze and other guests.
SPORTS UNITED is a major sports festival where children and young people from the city of Chemnitz (and their friends) can take part. Numerous sports clubs have the opportunity to present themselves and at the same time recruit new club members.
The weather forecast predicted a very hot day with no clouds and temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius. We were well prepared with plenty of mineral water and sun cream and met at the info point in the stadium at around 9am.
The car park in front of the stadium, the rooms throughout the complex and inside on the pitch were already bustling with activity. The football matches had already started and the club members were busy setting up their stands.
I was working at the Chemnitz Health Department stand. The office staff had set it up and equipped it in the morning so that I could start work after a short briefing.
The children who came to our stand were nicely persuaded to complete a small skills course. Once they had completed this, they were allowed to choose fresh fruit to be blended into a smoothie. But not simply with a smoothie machine, but by pedalling, because the blender was attached to a bike and only blended if you pedalled hard and fast. It was cool to make a drink yourself! Word quickly spread among the sports enthusiasts and a long queue of thirsty, sports-loving children formed next to our bike.
Time flew by and it was great fun chatting to the children and their parents.
In the afternoon, I took part in a stadium tour. The woman from the CFC fan club who took us on the tour showed us the press room, the changing rooms, VIP rooms and we climbed up to the roof of the stadium in the fan curve and enjoyed the marvellous view of the hustle and bustle in and around the arena.
The highlight of the day was planned for late afternoon. The "SPORTS UNITED" lettering, formed with the help of many people, was to be created on the grass inside the stadium. I helped to put the many people in the right position, the individual letters had to be "filled" with people. We all managed it together and the result was a great photo!
Conclusion: It was a great day. Great weather, nice people, lots of little athletes who worked really hard. I'm already looking forward to the "2025 SPORTS UNITED Day", which is planned for 6 September 2025.
