Outdoor pools in Detmold: lack of staff forces closures!

Outdoor pools in Detmold: lack of staff forces closures!

The Detmold outdoor pool season isn't going quite well at the moment. The reason for this is the acute shortage of staff, which means that some pools have already been closed and opening times are severely restricted. As radiolippe.de reports, two pools in Detmold had to close on June 22, 2025. On top of that, there were admission stops at the Heidenoldendorf outdoor pool because the rush was simply too high.

In order to counteract this chaotic situation, the city of Detmold has decided to keep an outdoor swimming pool closed every week. Personnel problems are a hot topic not only in Detmold, but also in other cities such as Steinfurt. The municipal utilities would like to open the outdoor pool in the Borghorst district, but are facing the same challenge: there is a lack of qualified staff. As WDR states, the administrations report an “empty market” and numerous closures and reductions in opening times in Steinfurt's outdoor pools due to the lack of staff.

A look at the causes

The situations in Detmold and Steinfurt are symptomatic of a larger problem in Germany. There are an estimated lack of up to 3,000 swimming champions in outdoor pools nationwide, as the Federal Association of German Swimming Masters (BDS) has found. The corona pandemic has also left its mark: many employees switched to other professions during the crisis and young talent has become rare. Young people in particular refuse shifts in the evenings and weekends, which further complicates the situation. As Tagesschau emphasizes, the challenges in swimming pool operation not only entail organizational difficulties, but also a certain degree of responsibility.

A current report about a swimming master in Baden-Württemberg makes it clear that these professions are not only poorly recognized but also poorly paid. A starting salary of 2,200 euros gross is more attractive for many carpenters or electricians - one reason why many swimming masters have given up the job. In the outdoor pools you are a lifesaver, a technician and often a psychologist, but the working conditions often leave a lot to be desired.

The situation in Cologne

In contrast to Detmold and Steinfurt, things seem to be going a little better in Cologne. The Köln-Bäder-Gesellschaft states that it has no current staff shortages, which means that the outdoor pools will open as planned. Around 60 seasonal workers are employed here to support the swimming masters and provide supervision. Nevertheless, the search for qualified personnel remains challenging, and in Cologne, too, the pools are already relying on inexperienced temporary workers, which worries the professional associations.

It is clear that swimming pools are under particular pressure, both in terms of the safety of bathers and in terms of staff retention. These issues require operators to have a good handle on personnel policy in order to continue to ensure safe operations. The city of Detmold is also planning training for its employees to improve their skills in using technology in the pools, which is a first step in the right direction.