When the women’s European Football Championship starts tomorrow, a number of topics will come into focus. In addition to the sporting title, there are also bonuses and the weakening offspring.
A football championship in England? For a German team, that is linked to positive memories. 26 years after the men’s triumph, the women, the record European champions, begin their mission of “title number nine”. But the island was not only a good place for the men: Back in 2005, the female soccer players secured the European Championship title in England. They won the final in Blackburn 3-1 against Norway, goals scored by Inka Grings, Renate Lingor and Birgit Prinz.
For the German women, the tournament begins on Friday with the game against Denmark (9 p.m. / ZDF and Dazn). The first game will take place tomorrow between the hosts and Austria. But in the run-up to the European Championship, the focus in Germany is not only on the ball and the desire for the first title since the Olympic victory in 2016. In this country, there is a lot of talk about equalizing the premiums between men and women, which some countries have already done But Germany will not come for the time being. If the men had been European champions last year, each player would have collected 400,000 euros. Should the women win the final at London’s Wembley Stadium on July 31, they would each receive €60,000.
But bounty is just a field that doesn’t yield the desired harvest. Women’s football is booming in many countries – but not in Germany. Half of all girls teams have been lost since 2010. The home World Cup in 2011 did not bring the desired success. We spoke to Pauline Bremer about the reasons for the stagnation and why many European countries have now caught up with or even overtaken the DFB team. The 26-year-old from Göttingen plays for Wolfsburg and is on call at the European Championships.
Bremen about…
their experiences from other countries: “I played in France and England. People in England are crazy about football. Traditional clubs are supported, fans are real fans there. They look forward to derbies, the clubs invest a lot in marketing. And the fans then also go to the women’s games, there isn’t that much of a difference. But I know that you also have to differentiate and that things cannot be transferred directly.”
mentality: “We experienced the full stadium in Barcelona with VfL Wolfsburg in the Champions League. FC Barcelona fans support the club – and with it the women’s team. It’s a question of mentality. But you can’t compare that with Wolfsburg either.”
football in Germany at the moment: “In general, you simply notice that other countries are catching up. Germany is no longer the sole favorite at such an EM. Let alone a favorite at all. Many can win the title at this tournament. But it’s not like the German clubs are sleeping. Good work is being done. German clubs are also always at the top, this year for example with Wolfsburg and FC Bayern in the Champions League. We have to keep at it now. But the club level is definitely on the right track.”
the visibility: “I don’t think many people even know where to watch women’s football on TV. That is a big problem. So it’s a good chance that the EM can now be seen on ARD, ZDF and Dazn.
the responsibility of the DFB team at the EM: “We have to consistently do a good job of getting young girls interested in football. A lot is simply about success. When you are successful, attention comes. It’s the same in other countries, comes in waves. The German team is even more responsible now that everything is to be followed. Through social media, the youngsters see how they win games all the time. I hope they win games.” (Maximilian Bülau)
To person
Pauline Bremer (26) comes from Ossenfeld in the district of Göttingen. She started playing soccer at SVG Göttingen when she was nine. So far she has won 21 caps (four goals). As a professional, she first played for Potsdam, then moved to Lyon and then to Manchester City. Bremer has been under contract in Wolfsburg since 2020.
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