That was FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s expected conclusion on the Women’s World Cup. The Swiss saw it as a complete success. And spoke in his speech of a “transformation” that the event in Australia and New Zealand brought about in women’s football.
“Something fundamentally new” has been achieved in terms of fan numbers and TV ratings, after the 2019 World Cup with “over a million spectators in the arenas and over a billion in front of the television” was already “a turning point”. However, according to Infantino, these marks have now been surpassed: “Two million fans came to the stadiums of the two host countries, two billion followed the games on the screen.”
The FIFA President said in an almost pastoral tone: “People watched the World Cup because it’s great, because it’s great sport, because it’s entertaining – because people love it.”
Criticism of Infantino’s “marketing talk”
But what has this World Cup really changed for women’s football apart from the brilliant FIFA business figures? Consultant Jörg Neblung, who looks after national player Klara Bühl, among other things, described Infantino’s statements as “marketing talk” in the Dlf interview: “Of course he tries to present his product in the most dazzling colors.”
Neblung doesn’t just attribute the improved situation in women’s football to this World Cup: “It’s definitely not a ‘transformation’. It’s just a further development. Interest has grown continuously in recent years. And it’s now culminating in this World Cup. Of course it’s then also smart enough to pull the truly spectacular numbers out of Australia, where never before has a show generated more ratings on linear television.”
Women’s football is becoming more interesting for consulting agencies
Something had actually happened “all over the world,” “awareness is increasing, sales and profits are growing – Mr. Infantino is happy”. As a consultant, Neblung also has reason to be happy about this economic development in women’s football.
He expects more and more consulting agencies to get involved in the future and predicts: “I suspect that the one million euro transfer fee will fall by next year at the latest. We are already in the area of around half a million. That before felt unimaginable three years ago.”
Neblung also sees side effects of the increased interest of consulting agencies in players: “It is now being poached more, it is becoming more aggressive. We have an elbow market where before everything was more of a flower meadow.”
“No generically grown market”
Basically you have to see: “We have a bubble in women’s football in Germany and Europe, which was created by the fact that the clubs are making advance payments and investing.” So it’s not a “generically grown market that actually gradually generates more sales through sponsorship and viewer income.”
The development of German and European women’s football is driven by the investments of the clubs, which transfer money from their men’s to the women’s area, “because they think we have to be there now or it’s a growing future market”.
Minimum salaries for German professional women’s league
More visibility on TV and more “followers” for the players in social media mean more “income opportunities through marketing” for the players, which is generally “good for business”.
The player consultant welcomes the rising salaries for female footballers. He also made a demand in the Deutschlandfunk interview: “In Germany we must finally get around to starting a professional league where minimum salaries are guaranteed.” For men, the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga (under the umbrella of the DFL) and the 3rd League (DFB) are professional leagues.
Second teams important as a training level
This is important so that the German women’s league is not left behind. The position of the German women’s Bundesliga as once the most attractive in Europe has changed. In the meantime, investments in the English, Spanish, Italian and French leagues have risen sharply.
The Bundesliga is still far ahead when it comes to the level of play, but the English Women’s Super League, the “promised land of England” with its professional structures, is now the measure of all things for female players. Neblung also refers to the latest development in Italy: “We have to make sure that we officially put a professional stamp on the league level. The Italians launched it within five months. Then two clubs said : We can’t keep up with minimum salaries. They were then relegated, even though they were qualified in sport.”
2023-08-20 01:35:13
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