A prominent voice in German football is calling for a significant restructuring of the sport’s governance, specifically advocating for the creation of a dedicated association for women’s football. Lena Cassel, a well-known football moderator who frequently works for DAZN covering the Bundesliga, voiced her concerns in an interview with “Zeitmagazin” coinciding with the upcoming Women’s European Championship in Switzerland.
While acknowledging improvements within women’s football, Cassel argued that the fundamental foundation remains fragile, attributing this partly to its current structure operating under the umbrella of the German Football Association (DFB). She drew a parallel with the men’s game, where the Deutsche Fußball Liga governs professional clubs, suggesting a similar independent framework is necessary for women’s football to truly flourish.
Cassel, herself a former footballer, recounted firsthand experiences of the limited resources available at the grassroots level. She detailed her own journey, from playing for a village club with minimal budgets and personnel dedicated to girls’ football, to progressing to the regional league where her team trained once a week on an artificial surface and received no financial compensation. She emphasized that these conditions, or variations thereof, sadly persist in many areas.
The call for a separate association aims to address these challenges and create a more robust and sustainable future for women’s football in Germany.