Gartner's plan: Revolution in the Lower Austrian Football Association for the future!

Gartner's plan: Revolution in the Lower Austrian Football Association for the future!

A drastic reform is emerging in the Lower Austrian football association. President Hans Gartner (73) plans to revise the structure of the leagues in order to lead the association structure into the future. Gartner had already announced in the summer that it would stand for re-election next April, but only on the condition that its comprehensive plan to restructure the association was approved before the 2025 general meeting. This proposal envisages reducing the currently existing six main groups and eight main youth groups to just four regions, which will then be looked after by full-time employees. This change could be considered his legacy in Lower Austrian football, like NOEN.at reported.

Gartner’s ambitions at a glance

In an interview with NÖN, Gartner explained that the number of football clubs in Lower Austria is continuously decreasing and this poses a threat to amateur football. Despite these challenges, he sees this as an opportunity to make the association and its structures more efficient. The president said that football in the region must be made future-proof. He also discussed relevant points such as the development of amateur, youth and women's football as well as the influence of the current national team under team boss Ralf Rangnick. Gartner himself was President of the Lower Austrian Football Association from 2002 to 2012 and again since 2016 and could now contribute his expertise to a reformed association structure if the new proposals are accepted NOEN.at reported.