Interest in women’s football in Germany has fallen – according to the German Football Association (DFB) – the number of girls’ teams has (almost) halved since 2010, crowds in Frauen-Bundesliga are not rising and even for teams. The women’s national team, attendance has been in decline for years. The data was helpfully presented in a brochure from the DFB in which the lack of visibility and women in positions of power within the Federation was also noted. brochure (“Frauen im Fussball Fast Forward”) lays out a five-year plan to increase the number of women in the sport from players to coaches to referees, all the way to management in the federation.
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Summaries: England defeat Germany and claim the 2022 European Championship (USA)
While we’ve seen other governing bodies set up a full-time model for the top tiers of their respective leagues – the FA with the Women’s Premier League, the Italian Federation (FIGC) with Serie A, and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) with La Liga. Ellas – The nature of 50+1 means that the German Football Association simply cannot tell all Frauen-Bundesliga clubs that they need to be full time. In fact, there is much more the union can do beyond incentives and investment.
Speaking to ESPN after the final, DFL national teams manager Guti Chazialexio was impressed by the need for clubs to want to improve their women’s programmes. “It’s more about the clubs, they have to do it by heart and not by telling you you have to do it. That’s something my grandfather always told me: If you do something by heart, you will do it perfectly, which is why we can’t go to the clubs to tell them that They have to do it. We have to find solutions together.”
Whether Oba Chatzialexiu was a fan of women’s football or not is unknown, but to those in the world of women’s football, many have seen clubs forced to run a women’s team with players keeping in mind a minimal number of uninterested or untapped owners. It is never a recipe for success.
Ahead of Sunday’s final, coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg stressed the need to make a lasting impact for the tournament regardless of the outcome. Waking up on Monday, the simple fact of Germany’s 2-1 loss to England at Wembley should make no difference to her plea for “more equality of talent, better stadiums…more spectators, better kick-off times.”
As it stands, games are available sporadically outside of Germany through a subscription service, ATA football, with those in Germany able to watch some on Magenta Sport – which requires a German account on T-Mobile – while others are selected to stream. The need for a better broadcasting deal that almost slaps the public against the domestic league is clear.
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Stevie Jones and Daniel Slatton broke down the key factors that separated England from Germany in winning the European Championship.
Far from returning the Euros and Germany to a major tournament final for the first time in six years, there should at least be a boom in interest in the national team, with the semi-final against France attracting a TV audience of over 12 million: a market share of 47%. By all accounts, the team’s coverage in Germany has gone down well, and perhaps the defeat in the final will help make them likable to the German public once again.
Monday morning, newspapers all over Germany full of titles “Handball shame” and England quickly pull the ball at Wembley, the narrative firmly established by the media. The incident occurred as the match continued 0-0 in the first half, when Marina Heggering’s corner kick attempt hit Leah Williamson’s raised arm. The call was reviewed by the VAR (Video Assistant Referee), but was not considered a sufficient offense to call the referee, Katrina Monzol, to the screen on the sidelines.
Voss-Tecklenburg raised the lack of review in her post-match press conference, with the coach asking for answers about the lack of communication and clarity, explaining that she would want the same if the roles were reversed. The incident and quotes from the coach and her players – heavily questioned in the mixed area after the match – were taken up by media around the world to spread the story of German outrage and English robbery.
It’s something that inspires fans to invest their interest, not least when combined with the hugely profitable football the team has used this summer.
Euro for women: News and features | Matches and results | tables
But of course, the men’s leagues are back – running on a revised calendar for the upcoming Winter World Cup in Qatar – and keeping the women’s team in the public’s mind will be next, with the men’s Bundesliga (kicks). from August 5th) A natural distraction. Even worse, the next two games on Germany’s schedule are overseas trips to Turkey and Bulgaria in September, with the next two having a chance to play at home before the first week of October.
At this point, memories of Germany’s clever defensive play and purposeful attacks from the Euros will fade in the minds of ordinary fans.
Although the German Football Association may not be able to achieve its lofty goals for 2027, this summer will serve as a reminder that the German women’s team, which won eight European titles, two World Cup titles, and Olympic gold from 2016, was only asleep In the past. a few years. Now, they’re awake again and ready to get back to winning ways. After all, we are only 353 days away from the start of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
