The German football federation (DFB) and the German football league (DFL) plan to offer two scholarships to women to encourage them to join their management in professional football certification programme.
The programme is aimed at future managers of the sporting side of the business, and intends to contribute “to the promotion of club employees to positions of responsibility from within.”
The scholarships for women are being offered for the first time.
“In the interests of career opportunities for women in professional football, applications for the two additional funded places are open to any woman who is interested,” a joint DFL and DFB statement on Thursday read.
Recipients need not have been previously employed by a club in the top three tiers of the men’s game or in the women’s Bundesliga.
The 14 participants from the first course last year included sporting directors, team managers, department heads and assistants to sports management teams.
Currently, there are no women in senior management posts in the men’s Bundesliga.
The DFB has Heike Ulrich as deputy general secretary, while Hannelore Ratzeburg has long been the only woman on the executive committee.
At the DFL, the management and the executive committee are an all-male team.(dpa/NAN)