The sense of composure that Marcel Singer emits when you chat with him at the Jössnitz sports club is infectious. But without this sense of calm, the 34-year-old would probably not manage to combine his family, job and leisure pursuits.

Marcel Singer, his wife and his four-year-old son all live in Jössnitz.

“This is where I was born and grew up – I have a solid footing here with many friends and I like drinking beer with them. And it’s nice to be near my parents,” he says, giving the reasons for his links to the Vogtland region.

He studied technical management in Leipzig. Meiser grating products in Oelsnitz was his practical partner – that was where he launched his professional career. He is now customer service manager and responsible for the quality management at the largest industrial employer in the region.

And then there is sport. He began to play football in Jössnitz in 1990, he was at VFC in Plauen from 1993 until 1998, then returned to Jössnitz.

“I played for the first team in men’s football for 15 years until 2016, 10 of them as captain. I then spent two years training the first team. I still play for the second team now because I want to do something for myself and feel good through the exercise,” he says, summarising his own active sporting career.

However, sport is far more than just being active yourself for Marcel Singer.

“Sporting opportunities are very important for young people if they’re looking for work in the region and know as parents that their children will be well looked after. The local communities, including Plauen, need to create more incentives here.”

They are not just words. Marcel Singer has shown a great deal of consistency: he was a youth leader and trainer for the next generation between 2001 and 2014. He is now honorary chairperson of Jössnitz sports club, which is the largest sports association in the Vogtland region with 898 members. 51 percent of them are children and young people. They all perform sports in eleven different departments. There are 80 trainers, 40 of them with a licence. Alongside the sports ground and the gymnasium with its bowling alley in Jössnitz, the club also uses the sports hall on Stresemann Strasse in Plauen.

He emphasises that the club’s high level is only possible due to genuine teamwork and an excellent level of cooperation. He was able to learn a great deal from his predecessors Dieter Buchner and Wolfgang Eckardt as a committee member for four years. He has been able to rely on many active colleagues as its chairman since 2013; together they direct the sports club in departments that act independently and as part of the five-person board.

“They all have their heart and soul in it,” he stresses. He is also grateful for the reliable partners from the world of business.

He enjoys listening to music in order to relax – the Beatles, Stones, Joe Cocker, for example, but also classical melodies – and all of it from records – “because you then have something in your hand,” says Marcel Singer, laughing. He has the sense of composure to put the records on.