Stop Hate, Win Sustainably: These 3 Clubs Are Nominated for the NFV Award

Three clubs are in the final of the NFV Sustainability Award 2026: TV Jahn Delmenhorst, SV Einum, and FC Flegessen/Hasperde. The projects show how broadly "sustainability" is now being considered in amateur football – as an attitude against digital violence, as a consistently implemented tournament concept with environmental and social components, and as long-term, values-based club development in youth work.

The finalists were selected by an eleven-member jury, which met digitally after the application deadline and determined the three best projects by awarding points. The rankings will be announced on June 5 at an award ceremony in the Danish Pavilion on the EXPO grounds in Hanover. The three winning clubs will receive earmarked cash and material prizes with a total value of 15,000 euros; the distribution is supported by partners Volkswagen, the savings banks in Lower Saxony, and the Lower Saxony Lotto Sports Foundation.

Three Finalists from 55 Applications

By January 31, 55 applications were received, 50 of which met the application criteria. In the end, the jury chose three projects, each addressing a different lever: social responsibility, sustainable event logic, and structural club work over the years.

Nominated are:

• TV Jahn Delmenhorst with "#StandUpAgainstHate"
• SV Einum with the "Sonnentaler Hallenmasters"
• FC Flegessen/Hasperde with "Kickoff Future"

The selection underscores that the sustainability award is not limited to waste separation or energy issues. It is also about how people interact with each other, about participation – and about whether a club takes everyday burdens (online as well as offline) seriously and turns them into permanently effective structures.

Delmenhorst Sets an Example Against Digital Hate

At TV Jahn Delmenhorst, the social dimension is at the forefront. The 2nd women's team responded to hateful comments under posts on TikTok and Instagram – and decided not to normalize the denigration, but to publicly take a stand against it. The message of the campaign is clear: Digital attacks do not stay online, they affect real people in the club's everyday life.

"We no longer want to remain silent. We want to show that digital attacks affect real people – and that we do not accept hate on the internet."

For "#StandUpAgainstHate," the team wrote some of the worst comments on white sheets of paper. Five players held the notes up to the camera one after the other, stood up, and tore them apart. This was followed by a deliberately positive statement: "For respect. Against hate. For football."

The campaign exemplifies a problem many teams know: Those who are visible – especially in women's football and on high-reach platforms – become easier targets. Delmenhorst does not turn this into a PR moment, but an appeal to club environments to demand responsibility not only on the pitch, but also in the digital space. The project has already been picked up regionally, including by the Weser-Kurier and Sport BILD.

Einum and Flegessen/Hasperde Pursue Sustainable Club Development

SV Einum is among the finalists with the "Sonnentaler Hallenmasters" – an annual non-profit indoor football tournament that combines sporting competition with a well-developed sustainability and social concept. For 2025, the organizers mention more than 5,300 guests; in addition, the tournament has reached over a million views on Instagram. Reach is not seen as an end in itself here, but as a lever: Those who reach so many people can set standards – in material use, waste avoidance, and social participation.

The concept includes a CO₂-neutral barrier system, goals made from recycled aluminum, and regional production to reduce transport routes. Remaining emissions are fully offset. Organizationally, what often comes last at sporting events, but determines credibility, is added: zero-waste approach, reusable concepts, consistent waste separation, and regional catering. Socially, the tournament is accompanied by donations, inclusion and school games, as well as free participation for disadvantaged children and greatly reduced admission prices. The aim is to function as a "scalable" role model – not just a successful one-off event, but to establish processes that other clubs can realistically adopt.

At FC Flegessen/Hasperde, the focus is less on a single event and more on everyday club life over the years. With "Kickoff Future," club work that has grown over more than ten years is being purposefully further developed into a long-term and holistic sustainability concept for youth work. The approach is broad: Six areas of design range from values-oriented youth work to sustainable mobility, integration and diversity, and a more conscious approach to materials and sportswear. Topics such as health and nutrition, responsible use of energy and water, and waste reduction are also included.

What is crucial is that the concept does not remain on paper. Measures already implemented include clear codes of conduct, a deliberately reduced focus on results in the youth sector, training and further education for coaches and referees, the promotion of carpooling, the passing on of materials, and integrative offers. At its core is a conflict of objectives that many clubs know: promoting children in sports without overburdening them – and at the same time anchoring values, cohesion, and responsibility so that they become visible in training, in the way people speak to each other, and in the organization.

The three finalists thus show three different answers to the same question: How can a club act so that impact is created beyond match day? Whether it's an attitude against digital violence, an ecologically and socially oriented tournament, or long-term youth work – the order will only be decided in Hanover. But the thematic range of the award is already clear.