Theo Zwanziger: “The Women’s National Football Team is Clearly Number Two”
In 2011, the women will be on the ball (Photo: nycshooter/iStockphoto)
21 December 2010
Next year’s summer's fairytale belongs to the ladies: in 2011 the Women’s World Cup will be held in Germany. Theo Zwanziger, president of the German Football Association (DFB), is already looking forward to “particularly appealing” matches and wishes there were more women in the DFB.
The DFB is hosting the women’s football World Cup in 2011. Why did you make a bid?
The proposal came from Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2005. We saw it as an opportunity to host such an appealing event in Germany. Interest in women’s football is growing – we just experienced that at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup here in Germany – and I think it will continue to grow very strongly next year for the Women’s World Cup. When girls want to play, they should be able to and be encouraged.
How would you assess the present status of women’s football?
Of all the teams in the DFB, the women’s national football team is now very clearly number two, right after the men’s national football team. It has a relatively solid albeit specific audience that shows the women great respect.
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Is women’s football different than men’s football?
When it’s played with technical precision by well-trained, fit players it is just as good as men’s. But men are faster and also tougher. The women’s matches are not quite as tough; they are more fluid, in many cases with more goals, and therefore have special appeal.
Even so, female football players are less present in the media.
We at the DFB try to treat everyone equally. Women’s league matches are regularly transmitted live on DFB-TV on the Internet. I watch it very often myself. There aren’t millions of watchers, but the numbers are steadily growing.
In the clubs, the numbers of women are still not very high, particularly at management level.
Yes, we still have our work cut out for us. 15 to 18 percent female members, that’s pretty good, but not enough. We are trying to gain women for management positions at all levels.
How do you plan to do that? For example, by seeking out career changers. Why shouldn’t a woman work in our finance commission?
Maybe women are lacking the role models, the stars like the men have.
It’s not a question of men’s or women’s football, we can see this in other sports in the competitive arena, it’s a question of viewing rates.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter says “the future of football is female". Does this apply to Germany, too?
Of course, especially in Germany we are further along than in many other countries.
When will we have a female DFB president?
Right now, we need women in the important offices at all association levels. What good is having a woman president if there is no growth in women’s football?
The interview was held by Regina Friedrich.
This is an abridged version of the interview with Theo Zwanziger. You can read the full version here.
Theo Zwanziger joined the DFB managing board in 1992 and was elected president of the DFB in 2006. He was re-elected in October 2010.
