The newly formed association, Women’s Bundesliga FBL e. V., will be headed by Katharina Kiel of Eintracht Frankfurt, who was unanimously selected as the league’s inaugural president. Veronica Saß (FC Bayern Munich) and Florian Zeutschler (SGS Essen) will serve as vice presidents.
Just before the founding meeting in Frankfurt, the clubs and the German Football Association (DFB) reached a tentative understanding on several key issues. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf attended the event and addressed the club representatives with a formal greeting, though he did not participate in the subsequent press conference. The presence of DFB leadership came after days of heightened tension, during which the clubs accused the federation of breaking prior agreements.
The sharpest criticism originated from FC Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt. Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said the DFB had “called into question essential points that had already been negotiated,” adding that the clubs were surprised and unsettled by the shift.
DFB General Secretary Holger Blask rejected the accusations, clarifying that no contract ready for signing had been agreed upon. He stated that the clubs had recently submitted extensive amendments, to which the DFB responded in the usual manner for negotiations.
According to Kiel, several contentious issues remain unresolved even after the association’s formal establishment. “At this stage, we are not yet able to enter into a joint structure because open questions between us and the DFB still need to be settled,” she explained. Kiel emphasized that multiple paths forward remain possible, referencing how the men’s professional leagues once developed independently through the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL). “The project with the DFB is not off the table. We will continue to evaluate all options without prejudice,” she said.
Unlike the men’s Bundesliga—which operates under the DFL—the Women’s Bundesliga has so far been run directly by the DFB. Neuendorf announced that the new league association is expected to transition into a joint limited liability company (GmbH) with the federation.
However, the debate over voting rights within this future GmbH remains a major point of contention. Both sides agree on a six-member leadership board consisting of three representatives from the league and three from the DFB. Yet the clubs are demanding the decisive vote in the event of a tie—an arrangement the DFB currently refuses to accept.
This article was created with the assistance of AI and has been reviewed and edited by our editorial team.
