2 September 2024 - 4:48 PM
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IMAGO | The DFB Cup winners 2024 from VfL Wolfsburg with the trophy after they beat Bayern Munchen.
Reality check: Economic challenges loom over Germany’s women’s football growth projections, report warns
- A major new report on women’s football in Germany say that the sport is likely to triple in economic size by the start of the next decade, but its authors remain sceptical about some of the claims being made about the game’s business model.
- Doubts remain about the attractiveness of women’s football to external investors, media and broadcasters, while independent clubs, such as those seen in the US, may be completely crowded out by “integrated” teams.
- Why it matters: German women’s football has the potential to grow into a sustainable, equitable and commercially viable entity in the country’s sports market, but amidst the hype over economic opportunities, challenges should not be undersold.
- The perspective: The hype around the growth of women’s football in Germany risks overshadowing the critical need for a solid and sustainable business model and overlooks the low starting point.
Despite entering a period of unprecedented growth, the authors of a major new report on the future of the women’s game in Germany have warned that without significant external strategic investment, the Frauen Bundesliga risks falling further behind England’s WSL and the US’s NWSL. The authors have also stated that amidst growing hype, harsh realities about its low economic base are frequently overlooked.
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