• Germany edition
Midwife Tanja Bujalla with Kerstin Grönemeyer and son Ben. Photo: DPA

Hannover 96 offers football fans birthing room for born supporters

Published: 19 Mar 10 16:29 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/sport/20100319-25989.html

Football fans often claim to be born supporters, but the Bundesliga club Hannover 96 has taken this to the next level with a special delivery room for births not far from the stadium.

The club said this week it is now just one baby short of a team that since the service was set up in cooperation with a local hospital a few months ago.

The idea for the room, which is decked out in Hannover's green, black and white colours, came from two football-crazy midwives at the clinic.

The mother of the latest baby born at the clinic, Ben, who came into the world on March 2 "instilled with the '96 virus from his first breath," said it was a "great idea."

Nevertheless, she admitted that "on the day of the birth, you have other things on your mind and the decor does tend to fade into the background," she said.

"This project could allow children to identify very quickly with their club," said the appropriately named club president Martin Kind - whose surname means "child" in German meaning.

However, Hannover fans of all ages have had plenty to cry about this season, with the club going through one of the most difficult periods in its history.

The two-time champions of Germany are currently languishing in 16th place in the Bundesliga and are battling to avoid relegation - enough to make even the most die-hard fan throw a temper tantrum.

AFP (news@thelocal.de)

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01:51 March 21, 2010 by wood artist
"The two-time champions of Germany are currently languishing in 16th place...."

I think perhaps that's the whole point. An infant, fresh from the relative comforts of the womb will take one look around, discover the sad truth, and immediately begin crying on its own. No need for that traditional smack on the rump.

Not only does it get the children crying, they are immediately accustomed to a less than wonderful season, thus creating a true fan-for-life.

wa
03:23 March 28, 2010 by peschvogel
Wow, if putting "Fussball" clothes on the walls of rooms in hospitals are making German women have babies to avoid the irriversible fertility rate of 1.3, perhaps they should put them in the bedroom of German couples. German needs more babies because the German population is dying out. The 1.3 fertility rate is irriversible...Perhaps Bayern Munich gear will put the frau "in the mood"?
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