Altenburg skat club 18 and gone” is celebrating its Bundesliga comeback after 25 years!

Altenburg skat club 18 and gone” is celebrating its Bundesliga comeback after 25 years!

After 25 years it is finally done: The skat club “18 und weg” from Altenburg celebrated its impressive promotion to the 1st Bundesliga in a thrilling finale on the last match day. As lvz.de reports, the last promotion of an Altenburg skat club to the first league was in 2000, which underlines the importance of this success even more. The club's roots go back to a defeat at a skat tournament, which was the impetus for its founding. The 19 members meet every week in the Zur Morgensonne restaurant to play their cards at the tables. The playing cards come from the renowned playing card factory ASS.

Before the last day of double play, the team was in fifth place, but with a strong performance on Saturday (third place) and an even better Sunday (second place) they won the runner-up title and thus promotion. Players like Benjamin Stollberg, Tommy Schmidt and Matthias Gimpel played a key role in this success. Tommy Schmidt emphasizes that promotion to the first league brings with it a new level, which further motivates the skat club to develop further. The Skatbund highlights that Thuringian skat sport is currently experiencing a positive phase, with the Teichdorfer Wölfe skat club securing the title of German team champion last year.

The influence of skat on society

Skat is more than just a card game; it promotes social exchange between different age and social groups. Nevertheless, the club faces a challenge: the problem of young talent in skating. As in football, there is a lack of members under the age of 35, who often move away after training or studying. This was also clearly addressed by René Fahr, a founding member, who describes the beginnings and growth of the club. The fear that the community is suffering is palpable, as without a breath of fresh air and new faces the future of the club could be in jeopardy.

According to those responsible, the question of financing will be exciting. Promotion to the 1st Bundesliga will entail higher costs. There is hope here for new sponsors who could help maintain Altenburg's status as a skat town. Without appropriate support, it could be difficult for the club to assert itself in the higher league. Members pay a weekly entry fee and annual contributions, some of which are paid to the associations.

The future of skat culture in Germany

With a view to the resilience of the skat culture, Peter Tripmaker, President of the Skat Association, comments on future developments. In an interview he describes how important it is to continue the tradition of the game in a modern context. Skat is considered the most popular card game in Germany with around 15 million players, and Deutschlandradio Kultur emphasizes the need for school groups to introduce the game to young people. Tripmaker doesn't see online skat as serious competition; he relies on harmonious play at the table with friends.

The rise of the skat club “18 and gone” not only brings a breath of fresh air into the local skat scene, but could also serve as an incentive for other clubs to deal with similar challenges and develop effective strategies for attracting young talent. Let's hope that the Altenburgers continue to stay in the game with a lot of passion and a good hand!