DJK-Sportverband
Encyclopedia
Deutschen Jugendkraft Sportverband (en:German Youth Power Sports Association, commonly DJK), is a Catholic-sponsored sports association in Germany
. Founded originally as a faith-based organization, today it is open to anyone who supports its goals. The concept of Jugendkraft or "youth power" is common to many countries and cultures, as in the Italian Juventus, and conveys the positive aspects of youthful energy and creativity.
in 1920 under the leadership of Monsignor Carl Mostert and was active nationally until 1933 and the rise to power of the Nazis. Faith-based and worker's organizations were regarded as politically unpalatable by the regime and DFK-affiliated clubs were at that time dissolved or forced into mergers with mainstream clubs. On 1 July 1934, DJK head Adalbert Probst was arrested by the Gestapo
before being shot the next day. By early 1935, the DJK and similar organizations were banned outright.
Following World War II
, organizations of all types were banned across the country by occupying Allied authorities as part of the process of de-Nazification. New sporting organizations slowly emerged and the DJK was re-formed in 1947 as the "Verband für Sportpflege in katholischer Gemeinschaft" (Catholic Sports Association for Community Care). Former DJK head Prelate Ludwig Wolker played an important role in bringing together the myriad of feuding postwar sports bodies under the national umbrella organization Deutscher Sportbund (German Sports Federation) in 1950. Within the DJK, a fierce factional dispute arose over whether the organization should return to being a separate and purely Catholic organization as it had been before the war, or an ideologically neutral organization that would integrate itself with other national sporting groups. It was only in 1961 that the DJK joined the Deutscher Sportbund. The previously separate men's and women's DJK groups were merged in 1970.
Today the organization acts as mediator between the church and sports, and places an emphasis on the role of faith in a sporting context. Based in Düsseldorf
, the DJK is a member of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (member with special responsibilities) and the Fédération internationale catholique d'éducation physique et sportive
(International Organization of Catholic Sports Associations). The DJK-Sportjugend (DJK-Youth Sport) is an independent youth organization and a member of Deutschen Sport Jugend (German Youth Sport) and the Bund der Deutschen Katholischen Jugend (Federation of German Catholic Youth).
The DJK-Sportsverband includes about 1,200 clubs nationwide and has over 530,000 members, of which almost half are adolescents and young adults (January 2005). The individual member clubs are part of national sports federations and associations for their respective sports. Every two years, the DJK Sportverband awards the DJK Ethics Award for Sport. Volker Monnerjahn has been DJK president since 2004.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Founded originally as a faith-based organization, today it is open to anyone who supports its goals. The concept of Jugendkraft or "youth power" is common to many countries and cultures, as in the Italian Juventus, and conveys the positive aspects of youthful energy and creativity.
History
The DJK was established in WürzburgWürzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
in 1920 under the leadership of Monsignor Carl Mostert and was active nationally until 1933 and the rise to power of the Nazis. Faith-based and worker's organizations were regarded as politically unpalatable by the regime and DFK-affiliated clubs were at that time dissolved or forced into mergers with mainstream clubs. On 1 July 1934, DJK head Adalbert Probst was arrested by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
before being shot the next day. By early 1935, the DJK and similar organizations were banned outright.
Following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, organizations of all types were banned across the country by occupying Allied authorities as part of the process of de-Nazification. New sporting organizations slowly emerged and the DJK was re-formed in 1947 as the "Verband für Sportpflege in katholischer Gemeinschaft" (Catholic Sports Association for Community Care). Former DJK head Prelate Ludwig Wolker played an important role in bringing together the myriad of feuding postwar sports bodies under the national umbrella organization Deutscher Sportbund (German Sports Federation) in 1950. Within the DJK, a fierce factional dispute arose over whether the organization should return to being a separate and purely Catholic organization as it had been before the war, or an ideologically neutral organization that would integrate itself with other national sporting groups. It was only in 1961 that the DJK joined the Deutscher Sportbund. The previously separate men's and women's DJK groups were merged in 1970.
Today the organization acts as mediator between the church and sports, and places an emphasis on the role of faith in a sporting context. Based in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, the DJK is a member of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (member with special responsibilities) and the Fédération internationale catholique d'éducation physique et sportive
Fédération internationale catholique d'éducation physique et sportive
The Fédération internationale catholique d’éducation physique et sportive – FICEP – is an international nongovernmental organization , which governs all sports associations related to Catholicism...
(International Organization of Catholic Sports Associations). The DJK-Sportjugend (DJK-Youth Sport) is an independent youth organization and a member of Deutschen Sport Jugend (German Youth Sport) and the Bund der Deutschen Katholischen Jugend (Federation of German Catholic Youth).
The DJK-Sportsverband includes about 1,200 clubs nationwide and has over 530,000 members, of which almost half are adolescents and young adults (January 2005). The individual member clubs are part of national sports federations and associations for their respective sports. Every two years, the DJK Sportverband awards the DJK Ethics Award for Sport. Volker Monnerjahn has been DJK president since 2004.
Championships
Current day DJK-affiliated clubs participate fully in regional and national sports leagues. Prior to 1933, these clubs were part of the separate DJK-sponsored competitions and occasionally staged national championships. The DJK also fielded its own national football side in the pre-war era.DJK German National Football Champions
| Year | Champions | Score | Runners-up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | DJK Katernberg | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | DJK Ludwigshafen | |
| 1924 | DJK Katernberg | 4–2 | DJK Bürgel Sparta | Frankfurt am Main |
| 1927 | Sparta DJK Nürnberg | 6-1 | DJK TuS 08 Homberg-Hochheide | Köln Cologne Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the... |
| 1932 | Sparta DJK Nürnberg | 5-2 | DJK Adler Frintrop | Dortmund Dortmund Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union.... |
DJK German National Handball Champions
- 1921: DJK Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen
- 1924: DJK Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen
- 1927: DJK Bergfried Graefrath
- 1932: DJK Mülheim-Styrum
National Sports Festivals
- 1950 Koblenz
- 1953 Schweinfurt
- 1957 Paderborn
- 1961 Nuremberg
- 1965 Düsseldorf 1965
- 1969 Augsburg
- 1973 Münster
- 1977 Mainz
- 1981 Mönchengladbach
- 1985 Ingolstadt
- 1989 Dortmund
- 1993 Bamberg
- 1997 Düsseldorf
- 2001 Koblenz
- 2005 Münster
- 2010 Krefeld