Meet Team VOOR: Christian Happel
We’re all passionate about sports. That’s why we created a platform designed to simplify the lives of athletes, coaches, and club managers. Your sport, our sport. Our team is here for your team! Meet Christian!
Who are you and what exactly do you do at VOOR?
I’m Christian, and I’m the Global Head of Sales at voor. That means I’m responsible for global sales and the entire commercial side of the business.
What has your career been like so far?
How much time do you have? 😊 Let me give you the short version. I studied in Germany and later in Liverpool, where I did an MBA (Football Industries). I spent over 10 years in football, working on both the club and federation sides, including roles as the CEO of a German third-division club, a member of the executive board of a European football federation, and CEO of a pan-national football competition. In 2018, I moved into the private sector and have been very happy at voor since October.
What would you like to achieve with VOOR?
I want us to become the world’s most successful all-in-one platform for modern team sports.
How can we support clubs?
We bring teams and coaches together to help them achieve their maximum sporting potential. At the same time, we strengthen the community. What’s great about it is that we do this for clubs of all sizes, from Champions League participants to local amateur teams, and our standard version is even completely free - no strings attached, no subscription, no risk.
Which sport does your heart beat for and are you active?
I’m generally very sports-minded. My favorite sport is football, even though I was actually a much better basketball player. Besides football and basketball, I’m also interested in handball, ice hockey, rugby, American football, darts, MMA, baseball... As you can see, I have a broad range of interests.
Are you a fan too?
Fan is probably a bit of an understatement in my case 😊 I worship Liverpool Football Club!
Which sport have you never tried, but would you like to?
Ice hockey. And curling. I’ve tried it once already, but it was so much fun, I would definitely try it again. Maybe next time with a little less mulled wine in my system...
What impact do you think sport can have on society?
Sport has a huge impact on society, both globally and in many different ways. In addition to promoting physical and mental health, sport strengthens the sense of community and fosters social interactions. Through sport, people from the most diverse backgrounds come together, which helps to build understanding and tolerance.
Sport also plays a significant role in education, teaching a variety of values that are crucial in everyday life, such as fairness, discipline, respect, teamwork, and how to deal with setbacks. Furthermore, sport has an economic dimension, whether in terms of creating jobs or promoting tourism.
Last but definitely not least, sport has the power to address societal issues, bringing them to the forefront and ideally sparking change. Good examples include the topics of inclusion, equality, and the fight against racism. For me, sport holds a very high place because of its multifaceted and profound influence on society.
