The season report shows: Women's football is becoming more and more popular. The financial figures are rising, more and more fans are coming. But there is still a lot to do.
31.01.2025, 20:37
31.01.2025, 20:38
dpa
The women's national football league continues to expand. In the 2023/2024 season, records were set in terms of finances, reach and spectator numbers, according to the German Football Association's (DFB) season report. Nevertheless, women's football remains a loss-making business for the time being, as the bottom line per club is a negative seasonal result of around €1.9 million on average.
However, the negative results are seen as an investment in women's football, with long-term goals such as image gains and marketing benefits, according to the report. The increase in the Bundesliga from twelve to 14 teams from the coming season should also contribute to this.
"This is an additional investment if the cake has to be shared by more clubs. But it was also a clear statement from the clubs that we want this because it is seen as added value in the medium-term development," said Manuel Hartmann, Managing Director of Match Operations at DFB GmbH & Co. KG.
According to the report, the twelve Bundesliga clubs together took in more than €31 million thanks to increased income from advertising and sponsorship as well as additional income from the Champions League - more than ever before. Average revenue has doubled over the past three seasons to €2.65 million per league member.
More and more people want to watch women's football
Women's football is also becoming increasingly popular with fans. A total of 379,653 spectators came to the stadiums on the 22 match days of the first division. The previous record was 359,404 fans in the previous season. An average of 2,876 spectators attended each match, meaning that the average match revenue per club also rose to a record 370,000 euros.
Free-TV viewing figures also increased. The 31 free-to-air matches were watched by an average of 390,000 viewers (previous season: 240,000), an increase of 62%. The top reach was again achieved in the top match between VfL Wolfsburg and FC Bayern Munich on match day 17 with 2.04 million viewers on ARD.
The fact that clubs are investing more and more in women's and girls' football and thus further improving the sporting conditions for the players is also shown by the significant increase in basic monthly salaries to an average of around EUR 4,000. "More and more players are managing to make a living from football," said Hartmann. Nevertheless, it is also immensely important to prepare for the time after their career.
