sports club
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sports club
An organization or club in which members can practice one or more sports together.
Er ist seit seiner Kindheit Mitglied im örtlichen Sportverein und spielt dort Fußball.
He has been a member of the local sports club since childhood and plays soccer there.
The word is a simple compound of 'Sport' (sport) and 'Verein' (club/association). A 'Verein' is an organization or club for a shared interest—in this case, for sports.
Fast jedes Dorf in Deutschland hat einen eigenen Sportverein.
Almost every village in Germany has its own sports club.
Pay attention to the case with the preposition 'in': you are a member 'im Sportverein' (in the sports club; dative), but you join 'in den Sportverein' (the sports club; accusative).
Mein Sohn ist im lokalen Sportverein.
My son is in the local sports club.
Common verbs connected with 'Sportverein' (sports club) are 'Mitglied sein' (to be a member), '(einem Verein) beitreten' (to join a club), or 'in (einen Verein) eintreten' (to join a club).
Sie ist dem Turnverein schon vor zehn Jahren beigetreten.
She joined the gymnastics club ten years ago.
club / association
'der Verein' and 'der Sportverein' both mean an organization where people come together because of a shared interest. The difference is that 'der Verein' is more general. It can be about sports, but also about music, culture, helping others, or other goals. 'der Sportverein' is more specific and only fits when it is about sports and training together. Learners may confuse the words because a 'Sportverein' is also a 'Verein'. If the type of club is not important or not known, you say 'Verein'. If sports are clearly the focus, 'Sportverein' is more natural.
Nach der Schule trainiert Max zweimal pro Woche im Sportverein.
After school, Max trains at the sports club twice a week.
Der Verein organisiert im Sommer ein Fest für die Nachbarschaft.
The club is organizing a neighborhood festival in the summer.