Bundesliga
“Makes the league more attractive”: The boom in female soccer players continues
Wolfsburg’s sports director Ralf Kellermann is calling for more games in large stadiums in the women’s Bundesliga. photo
© Moritz Frankenberg/dpa
The women’s Bundesliga is becoming more and more attractive, and the level and number of spectators are increasing. Bayern boss Rech expects rapid development – from which even an outsider wants to benefit.
Giulia Gwinn’s mishap matched the failed one Bayern finish in the Bundesliga. The national soccer player was supposed to come on as a substitute against newly promoted Nuremberg, but then noticed that the shorts for the game were missing under her long training pants.
At the end of the 90 minutes, the blatant outsider from Franconia had taken off the lederhosen of all Munich women at 1-1, as they say when the German champions stumble unexpectedly. This is good for the league. More excitement promises more fans, which is needed for the boom in women’s football to continue despite the World Cup debacle. Another record season awaits: before the winter break, the average is 2,990 fans per game. In the previous season there were 2,723 at the end.
Curiously, Bayern’s women’s football boss Bianca Rech is also happy about games like the one at second-to-last Nuremberg: “The level within the league has changed a bit. It has become a bit more balanced,” she told the dpa. The 42-year-old believes that it is harder to win games than in previous years, “because the quality of the other teams has improved. The teams are better trained, better trained tactically. As a result, games are becoming more and more difficult. The result is not the same set in stone in advance. That makes the league more attractive.”
The women’s Bundesliga continues to develop
Rech also explained why the second-placed team is keen to be able to waste games like in Nuremberg: “We want to remain attractive as a league. This is the only way we can continue to inspire players for FC Bayern.” Most recently it worked, two top players in Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson came from Chelsea, and Georgia Stanway from Manchester City the year before. Rech is certain that the league will continue to develop, as will the pace: “It will probably happen quickly, incredibly quickly.”
Sports director Ralf Kellermann of league leaders VfL Wolfsburg sees games in large stadiums as essential. “The clubs are required to continue to move to large arenas for selected highlight games. You can see that it works, even apart from the top sporting games,” said the 55-year-old to the dpa, referring to the game between Werder Bremen and Cologne . 21,508 spectators came to the Weserstadion – the highest number so far this season.
By the end of the year with the tenth matchday last weekend, a total of five matches had been played in stadiums where men normally play. Werder also has the highest average attendance in the Bundesliga (6,791) because of the highlight game against Cologne. “The number of viewers has stabilized at a high level after the record 2022/2023 season, and the TV reach is just as positive,” said Kellermann. When his VfL visited Bayern, the game achieved the best market share of the season so far with 10.5 percent. 1.55 million viewers watched the top duel on ZDF.
Further increase TV visibility
Behind the two champions of the past eleven years, SGS Essen was particularly surprising in fifth place. The concept of relying on young female footballers was a success at the league’s last all-women’s football club. Managing director Florian Zeutschler has only limited fear of being pushed out by clubs with a men’s parent club and more financial power. “We have had 20 years of the Bundesliga in a row, we want to stay in the league for the next 20 years. It won’t get any easier, but it has never been easy.”
What is crucial for all investments is “economically sound work. We can rightly say that we are a good example for others.” There must be a regulation “so that we in women’s football – if we want to continue to grow it with certain values - do not make the same mistakes that exist in men’s football,” demands Zeutschler.
For him, growth also means thinking about expanding the league from twelve to 16 teams: “My wish is for a larger league to simply create more sporting visibility with the women’s Bundesliga.” He could also find open ears in Wolfsburg or Munich – although Bayern could then have their lederhosen taken off even more often.