"Professional football struggles with gender inclusivity": limited opportunities for women in major football leagues
In the world of professional football in Germany, women are underrepresented in top management positions. Currently, only 6 out of 100 top leadership roles across Germany’s premier and second-tier football clubs are held by women, with just four clubs having women in top management – a figure unchanged from the previous season [1].
To address this issue, several key approaches are being proposed. One such approach is a structural overhaul of leadership models. Breaking the predictable leadership mold, predominantly older German men with academic backgrounds entrenched in their roles, requires clubs to reform their recruitment and promotion practices to be more inclusive [1].
Another approach is setting and enforcing diversity targets. Clubs and the German Football Association (DFB) can implement measurable goals for female representation in management, promoting accountability and progress monitoring. This strategy has been shown effective in corporate settings [2].
Cultivating a supportive culture and networks is also crucial. Encouraging mentorship and sponsorship programs to prepare and support women for management roles can help overcome barriers in a male-dominated environment [1][4].
Leveraging role models and champions is another strategy. Highlighting successful women leaders and coaches in German and European football can inspire and normalize female leadership within football [3]. For example, women coaches have had notable success in women’s football, showing progress is possible but incomplete [3].
Engagement from fans and club members is essential for change. Pressure and support from outside the clubs, including fans advocating for diversity and inclusiveness at the leadership level, can help drive change [1].
Institutional support by the DFB is also key. The German Football Association, which oversees leagues and holds significant influence, can enforce policies encouraging female leadership, education, and tolerance initiatives, building on its history of progressive steps in women’s football [5].
St. Pauli, SC Freiburg, Mainz 05, and second-division club Eintracht Braunschweig lead in having women in supervisory bodies. Clubs and associations will present themselves, offering dialogue formats and networking opportunities [6]. Only six percent of top management positions in the 36 clubs from the 1. and 2. Bundesliga are held by women [7].
Out of 19 new top-level positions, only one went to a woman: Luise Gottberg was elected to the presidium of FC St. Pauli [8]. In supervisory bodies, only 28 out of 271 positions are held by women [7].
The first career fair for women in football aims to facilitate access for career changers. The career fair will take place on September 16 at the DFB campus in Frankfurt am Main [9]. The German Football Association (DFB) and the German Football League (DFL) have launched a joint project called "Your Job in Football" [10].
The initiative "Football Can Do More" (FKM) has criticized German professional football in their second annual report "State of the League" [11]. Axel Hellmann, CEO of Eintracht Frankfurt and co-chair of the FKM initiative, agrees that action is needed to increase the number of women in leadership positions in football [12].
Fernando Carro, chairman of the management board of Bayer Leverkusen, emphasizes the importance of diversity for the organization and society [13]. According to Axel Hellmann, the impetus for increasing the number of women in leadership positions should come from the clubs, members, and fans, not just management [14].
SV Elversberg has a quota of 44 percent of women on the second leadership level, with every fifth position on the second leadership level held by a woman [15]. Schalke 04, St. Pauli, 1. FC Heidenheim, and Werder Bremen are the only clubs with a woman in top management [7]. The Women's Football Euros are currently a topic of discussion [16].
- To promote change in the underrepresentation of women in top management positions within German football, a structural overhaul of leadership models is proposed, aiming to break the predictable leadership mold and reform recruitment and promotion practices for greater inclusivity.
- Encouraging mentorship and sponsorship programs can help overcome barriers for women in a male-dominated environment like football, preparing and supporting them for management roles.
- Highlighting successful women leaders and coaches in German and European football can serve as role models and normalize female leadership within the sport.
- For significant progress, engagement from fans and club members, supportive networks, institutional support by the German Football Association, and diversity targets are essential to create an environment that encourages and fosters female leadership in sports business.
