VfL Wolfsburg Promote Diversity As Frauen Bundesliga Looks To Capture New Audience
by Asif Burhan
After two months in hiatus, the German women’s soccer league will restart today as Bundesliga champions and league leaders, VfL Wolfsburg take on FC Köln. With the women league seasons in England, France and Spain now officially terminated, and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States not resuming until 27 June, the opportunity is there for the Frauen Bundesliga to step into the vacuum for fans around the world starved of live action.
The German Football Federation (DFB) has already made all five matches played this weekend available for live broadcast within its own country but such is the growing demand for women’s soccer across the continent that the BBC will begin showing live matches from the German league starting this Saturday on its Gaelic-language channel, BBC Alba, which viewers throughout the United Kingdom will be able to stream online.
Wolfsburg head coach Sebastian Lerch felt the restart of women’s football in Germany to be “a very strong signal and a sign of recognition. We can be very, very grateful that we got this chance and were allowed to play again”. Bayern Munich defender Amanda Ilestedt said “We've waited so long for this and everyone is happy that we can play football again. I was very happy when the decision to play matches again was finally made and we had clarity”.
Eight points behind Wolfsburg in the league standings, FC Bayern’s first match will be against third-placed 1899 Hoffenheim. A win for Hoffenheim could see them leapfrog Bayern in the table and into the all-important Champions League qualifying position. After returning to training in small groups two weeks ago, every club has now resumed full contact training but in quarantine camps specified by the hygiene concept created by the DFB.
Such a long period without training with physical contact has led to fears that players may be at a greater risk of muscle injuries. Bayern head coach Jens Scheuer said “Of course, preparation through the quarantine week was a bit different than normal, but we’ve accepted the situation very well as a team in recent days and weeks and coped with it together. Since the resumption of team training at the beginning of last week, some of the players have suffered a few minor injuries, and one or two players are doubtful for Saturday. So we don't have everyone at our disposal, but our squad is very strong and deep, so we're definitely ready for Saturday”.
With one day of training still to go, Bayern striker Jovana Damnjanović believes “the quarantine week is going very well for us. I thought beforehand it could be very boring - but on the contrary, we’re using the time well and making progress as a team overall. After such a long interruption, the time spent together is actually doing us a lot of good”.
However, further down the league, clubs have had more problems. FC Köln go into their game with Wolfsburg today unable to call upon their entire squad as head coach Sascha Glass explained, "we have 15 players with us who go to work during the day, two of which I had to cut out of the squad for work-related reasons because the hygiene concept is not compatible with their professions".
"Nobody has experienced anything like this before. I have to admit that I am skeptical about continuing the league with all my love for the sport. I am afraid that the risk of injury to the players is much higher due to the high workload, the many games in a very short time and difficult preparation. In addition, some clubs are disadvantaged due to the training backlog, so it is not a fair competition. Maybe you should allow the thought".
Wolfsburg’s match against relegation-threatened FC Köln will also be notable for the club’s stand against discrimination. Over the weekend both the men’s and women’s team will wear shirts upon which the sponsor’s Volkswagen’s logo will be in rainbow colours. The word #Vielfalt (Diversity) will also be emblazoned on the shirt’s collars to mark the 8th German Diversity Day. Managing Director of the club, Michael Meeske said “in difficult times for all of us, it is all the more important to send a clear signal against discrimination”.
“The rainbow captain’s armband for all our teams and together with our partner clubs will be our way of showing the values that VfL stands for. And thanks to Volkswagen, we can wear these values proudly on our chests this season out on the field".