Developing football in Germany
Article summary
As well as looking to add to Germany’s proud record of on-field successes, the DFB is aiming to take football forward across a variety of areas and guarantee the game’s future good health.
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Overview
Strategic goals
- Achieving the highest international level in sport.
- Winning international titles in men’s, women’s and youth tournaments.
- Being a relevant and sustainable factor in a modern society.
DFB challenges
- Securing and protecting the relationship between amateur and professional football.
- Developing grassroots football and securing the game’s future by attracting young players.
- Meeting present and future social responsibility challenges.
A total of 7,131,936 people are currently registered in the DFB’s 21 regional associations – 41,829 more than in the previous year. The increase in the number of members is due to growth in the senior sector and among women.
DFB help to football/society during the pandemic
Key initiatives: the medical-hygienic concept Taskforce Sports Medicine/Special Game Operation; a Back on the Pitch guide, and a concept for the return of spectators. The association's latest initiative was to start a petition for amateur sports with the slogan “Draußen muss drin sein” (Outside has to be Onside) together with the German Olympic Sports Confederation.
Legacy of hosting EURO matches in Munich
The EURO 2020 games were a foretaste of EURO 2024 in Germany and helped to create anticipation and enthusiasm in Germany and Europe. The tournament is intended to be the engine of football development from a sporting and socio-political point of view in Germany and beyond. The high level of attention in the run-up to the tournament offers the opportunity to develop new target groups for active sport, as well as for functions in football. UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany will serve as an advertisement to strengthen the foundations of football. This also enables the social potential of football to develop in a more targeted manner.
UEFA support
HatTrick funding is helping the DFB's progress in many ways, mainly in sporting, infrastructural and educational areas. The promotion of women's football, one of the central concerns of the UEFA's HatTrick programme, is also one of the association's main goals.
New DFB headquarters and academy
In March 2014, the DFB approved the construction of the new DFB HQ and academy in Frankfurt am Main. This location was chosen for several reasons: central location, optimum transport connections and proximity to the current DFB headquarters.
With the construction of the new DFB headquarters and academy, the DFB wishes to take a major step towards the further development of top-level football in Germany.
The building will comprise the DFB headquarters and the academy (training pitches, locker rooms, physio and medical rooms, fitness facilities/gym/weight room, football hall, multi-purpose and futsal hall, and 33 double rooms for accommodation of athletes or other course participants, e. g. referees, coaches).
UEFA Foundation for Children in Germany
Set up in 2015, the UEFA foundation uses football as a vehicle to help improve children’s lives by supporting hundreds of campaigns and projects across Europe and around the world.
Bellevue di Monaco
An intercultural rooftop sports court in the heart of Munich. Its purpose includes promoting the campaign against discrimination, activities for refugees and access to sport.
Hawar help e.V. – SCORING GIRLS
Using football as a springboard for the integration and empowerment of disadvantaged and refugee girls in Germany. The project fosters healthy personal and social development by nurturing the girls’ self-confidence, intercultural awareness, and sense of independence and responsibility towards their teammates – skills that are essential in life and in becoming a responsible citizen.
European Football for Development Network (EFDN) – Welcome through football
Participation in safe and structured activities is vital for the development of young migrants and refugees. Almost all the countries participating in the project have high numbers of refugees concentrated in the inner cities. These young refugees are mostly excluded from society, and participation in sport can be a first step towards social integration.
The project activities are organised into three stages:
1. Socialisation to sports – different football activities are offered for young refugees of both sexes, taking into account any special needs, such as language skills or trauma.
2. Socialisation in sports – the participants work on team structure and are given more responsibility. Participants also have the opportunity to engage in activities outside the sports training sessions.
3. Socialisation through sports – participants focus on the skills they have acquired, with a view to qualifying for further education in and outside of sports.
Timeline
Association history
National team history
President
Bernd Neuendorf
Nationality: German
Date of birth: 6 July 1961
Association president since: 2022
General secretary
Heike Ullrich
Nationality: German
Date of birth: 16 September 1969
Association general secretary since: 2022