BVB's women's football

I played football myself, have always been a fan of Borussia and would've loved to have played for them. But even now, after ending my 'career', I'm absolutely thrilled that BVB formed a women's team." Svenja Schlenker, who is charged with heading the women's team, is completely behind the new programme. "It all started at the 2019 Members' Meeting when someone commented on the fact that BVB didn't have a women's team. That following Monday we formed a project group that soon included more than 20 interested employees. But this has been more than just a project for a while now. We're serious about this."

BVB stands for professional and not amateur sports. The club's aspirations are clear. "Nevertheless, acquiring a higher licence and directly starting at the top was out of the question for us. We want to forge our own path and work our way up from the local league." We have set our sights high, and thus the atmosphere at the Rote Erde stadium has been phenomenal. "We're particularly thrilled about the familial atmosphere at our home matches. The crowds are diverse, with many families in attendance. There's a certain 'Bratwurst-Beer-Borussia' feeling that I particularly like. Very down-to-earth, very welcoming and relaxed."

"The team is also motivated to play attractive, winning football. After just a short time together, we have set our sporting goals very high. Clearly, some things are easier to us because we can use BVB's existing professional facilities.

But our coaches only get their expenses reimbursed, and the players aren't paid a cent."

Nevertheless, the expectation is that the trend towards professionalisation could be advantageous for those clubs who have professional men's teams. The training environment and professional (monetary) structures are quite simply a competitive advantage. "The women's-only football clubs that are currently playing in the Bundesliga, and doing a really great job, will unfortunately have a harder time in the future. But we still have a long way to go until then, and a lot can still happen."