Overview
- Cities across Germany, including many in North Rhine-Westphalia and Munich, submitted applications by the January 15 deadline for the federal 'Sanierung kommunaler Sportstätten' program.
- An authoritative KfW/Difu study puts the national investment backlog at €12.12 billion, with 59% of municipal facilities needing significant work and 5.6% of sports halls at risk of closure within three years without renovation.
- The program funds facilities primarily used for sport and sets grant sizes between €250,000 and €8 million, with the federal share covering up to 45% of project costs according to Munich officials.
- The Landessportbund NRW welcomed both the federal scheme and a separate €600 million state package, while warning that combined funding still will not resolve the broader shortfall.
- Local projects illustrate the pressure and plans: Bonn seeks support for a €2.5 million upgrade to the Endenich sports park, and Munich aims to replace artificial-turf infill to comply with an EU microplastics rule, alongside refurbishments at several municipal sites.