FCK club festival: 125 years of football and hockey on a grand scale!

FCK club festival: 125 years of football and hockey on a grand scale!

On June 15, 2025, 1. FC Kaiserslautern (FCK) celebrated a very special club party in the Rote Teufel sports park, which took place on the occasion of its 125th anniversary. Around 3,000 guests were impressed by the colorful diversity of the club, which has much more to offer than just football. The FCK hockey department particularly came into the spotlight, presenting its sport on the lower artificial turf pitch. The atmosphere was exuberant and there was great interest, as rheinpfalz.de reported.

Board member Tobias Frey noted that the demand for water was particularly high on this hot day, which reflected the lively participation of visitors. In addition to the hockey demonstrations, there was also a fan club tournament that brought together both old and new supporters.

Hockey between tradition and modernity

The hockey department has achieved a lot in recent years. It currently has around 150 members, around 70% of whom are children and young people. Despite pandemic-related restrictions, we can look back on a successful year. There were also exciting things within the department, such as the sports challenge, in which 5,080 kilometers were covered in four weeks - proof of the athletes' high level of enthusiasm. This information comes from a current review of the department on its website.

In the summer, the hockey department will put new uniform jerseys and a fresh changing room into operation. All of this contributes to increasing cohesion and a stronger identification with the club. The focus on youth remains clear: the female U12 took third place in the association league, while the male U16 also became runner-up in their league. The dedicated trainers show a good knack for optimally promoting the talents.

Club sports are changing

Club sports, especially hockey, are becoming increasingly socially and politically relevant. Important topics include prevention, health and integration, as Hockey-Hilfe emphasizes. This development requires sports organizations to differentiate their offerings and find new target groups. Above all, the need for a sustainable network in order to do justice to social change processes is in the foreground.

The FCK remains true to itself and is not only involved in football, but also promotes other sports such as hockey and contributes to improving the general conditions for sports and sports clubs. It remains to be seen how these positive developments will develop in the near future and which new faces we can welcome in hockey alongside the well-known talents.