# Women's football in Germany

Women's football in Germany is quickly becoming very popular in Germany largely due to the success of the women's national team.

## History

Women in Germany have been playing football since the turn of the 18th century, but women playing sports were frowned upon by the general population and citizens. The "Sports Girl" did not come into fashion until the 1920s when women started to form their own clubs. Lotte Specht was one of the first female to form a women's only football club. Christa Kleinhans was another pioneer of women's football in Germany. In 1955 the German Football Association declared that they would not permit women into the association stating that women were frail and unable to perform in the sport without injuring themselves. During the 1960s there was discussion about setting up a Woman's Football Association, but it never panned out.
The DFB finally officially allowed women players on October 30, 1970, but there were modifications to the rules. Firstly, women were only allowed to play in warm weather. Secondly, football boots with studs were banned and the ball was smaller and lighter. Lastly, the length of a match was reduced to seventy minutes.
In 1971 a women's league was formed, with many other leagues established during the following years. On September 8, 1974, the first women's champion in football was awarded to TuS Wörrstadt.
The first women's DFB Cup was held in 1981 with SSG 09 Bergisch Gladbach defeating TuS Wörrstadt 5–0 in the final match in front of 35,000 spectators.
The women's national team (coached by Gero Bisanz) played its first game (as West Germany) on November 10, 1982, against Switzerland. Germany won the match 5–1. Two players who scored in the game would eventually become coaches for the national team.
In 1989 West Germany hosted the 1989 European Competition for Women's Football. The German team beat the Italian team on a penalty shoot-off. This was the first women's football game broadcast live in Germany. On July 2, 1989, the German team beat the favored Norwegian team 4–1 in front of 23,000 spectators. This was an attendance record for a German women's team that would last until May 24, 2008, when 27,460 spectators watched 1. FFC Frankfurt defeat Umeå IK 3–2 in the UEFA Women's Cup.

## National competition

As a result of the national team's success in the 1989 European Competition, in 1990 the DFB founded the first women's Bundesliga with twenty teams divided into two groups, a Northern Conference and a Southern Conference. The Bundesliga was reduced to a single league of twelve teams in 1997. However, with the growing strength of Regionalliga compared to the Bundesliga, the DFB founded Second Bundesliga in 2004. The Second Bundesliga contained twenty-four teams divided into two groups.
| Level | Level | League(s)/Division(s) | League(s)/Division(s) | League(s)/Division(s) | League(s)/Division(s) | League(s)/Division(s) | League(s)/Division(s) | League(s)/Division(s) | League(s)/Division(s) | League(s)/Division(s) | League(s)/Division(s) |
| I | I | Frauen-Bundesliga 12 clubs | Frauen-Bundesliga 12 clubs | Frauen-Bundesliga 12 clubs | Frauen-Bundesliga 12 clubs | Frauen-Bundesliga 12 clubs | Frauen-Bundesliga 12 clubs | Frauen-Bundesliga 12 clubs | Frauen-Bundesliga 12 clubs | Frauen-Bundesliga 12 clubs | Frauen-Bundesliga 12 clubs |
| II | II | 2. Frauen-Bundesliga 14 clubs | 2. Frauen-Bundesliga 14 clubs | 2. Frauen-Bundesliga 14 clubs | 2. Frauen-Bundesliga 14 clubs | 2. Frauen-Bundesliga 14 clubs | 2. Frauen-Bundesliga 14 clubs | 2. Frauen-Bundesliga 14 clubs | 2. Frauen-Bundesliga 14 clubs | 2. Frauen-Bundesliga 14 clubs | 2. Frauen-Bundesliga 14 clubs |
| III | III | Regionalliga Nord 14 clubs | Regionalliga Nord 14 clubs | Regionalliga Nordost 12 clubs | Regionalliga Nordost 12 clubs | Regionalliga West 14 clubs | Regionalliga West 14 clubs | Regionalliga Südwest 14 clubs | Regionalliga Südwest 14 clubs | Regionalliga Süd 14 clubs | Regionalliga Süd 14 clubs |
| IV | IV | Niedersachsenliga Ost Niedersachsenliga West Verbandsliga Bremen Verbandsliga Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein-Liga | Niedersachsenliga Ost Niedersachsenliga West Verbandsliga Bremen Verbandsliga Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein-Liga | Landesliga Sachsen Landesliga Sachsen-Anhalt Verbandsliga Berlin Verbandsliga Brandenburg Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Verbandsliga Thüringen | Landesliga Sachsen Landesliga Sachsen-Anhalt Verbandsliga Berlin Verbandsliga Brandenburg Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Verbandsliga Thüringen | Verbandsliga Mittelrhein Verbandsliga Niederrhein Verbandsliga Westfalen | Verbandsliga Mittelrhein Verbandsliga Niederrhein Verbandsliga Westfalen | Verbandsliga Rheinland Verbandsliga Saarland Verbandsliga Südwest | Verbandsliga Rheinland Verbandsliga Saarland Verbandsliga Südwest | Bayernliga Oberliga Baden-Württemberg Oberliga Hessen | Bayernliga Oberliga Baden-Württemberg Oberliga Hessen |
| V | V | Landesliga Niedersachsen Landesliga Bremen Landesliga Hamburg Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein | Landesliga Niedersachsen Landesliga Bremen Landesliga Hamburg Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein | Landesklasse Sachsen Landesklasse Thüringen Landesliga Berlin Landesliga Brandenburg Kreisoberliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Regionalklasse Sachsen-Anhalt | Landesklasse Sachsen Landesklasse Thüringen Landesliga Berlin Landesliga Brandenburg Kreisoberliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Regionalklasse Sachsen-Anhalt | Landesliga Mittelrhein Landesliga Niederrhein Landesliga Westfalen | Landesliga Mittelrhein Landesliga Niederrhein Landesliga Westfalen | Bezirksliga Rheinland Landesliga Saarland Landesliga Südwest | Bezirksliga Rheinland Landesliga Saarland Landesliga Südwest | Landesliga Bayern Verbandsliga Baden Verbandsliga Südbaden Verbandsliga Hessen Verbandsliga Württemberg | Landesliga Bayern Verbandsliga Baden Verbandsliga Südbaden Verbandsliga Hessen Verbandsliga Württemberg |
| VI | VI | Bezirksliga Niedersachsen Bezirksliga Bremen Bezirksliga Hamburg Kreisliga Schleswig-Holstein | Bezirksliga Niedersachsen Bezirksliga Bremen Bezirksliga Hamburg Kreisliga Schleswig-Holstein | Kreisoberliga Sachsen Kreisoberliga Thüringen Bezirksliga Berlin Kreisliga Brandenburg Kreisliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Kreisliga Sachsen-Anhalt | Kreisoberliga Sachsen Kreisoberliga Thüringen Bezirksliga Berlin Kreisliga Brandenburg Kreisliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Kreisliga Sachsen-Anhalt | Bezirksliga Mittelrhein Bezirksliga Niederrhein Bezirksliga Westfalen | Bezirksliga Mittelrhein Bezirksliga Niederrhein Bezirksliga Westfalen | Kreisklasse Rheinland Bezirksliga Saarland Bezirksliga Südwest | Kreisklasse Rheinland Bezirksliga Saarland Bezirksliga Südwest | Bezirksoberliga Bayern Landesliga Baden Bezirksliga Südbaden Gruppenliga Hessen Landesliga Württemberg | Bezirksoberliga Bayern Landesliga Baden Bezirksliga Südbaden Gruppenliga Hessen Landesliga Württemberg |
| VII | VII | Kreisliga Niedersachsen Stadtliga Bremen Kreisliga Hamburg Kreisklasse A Schleswig-Holstein | Kreisliga Niedersachsen Stadtliga Bremen Kreisliga Hamburg Kreisklasse A Schleswig-Holstein | Kreisliga Sachsen Kreisliga Thüringen 1. Kreisklasse Brandenburg 1. Kreisklasse Sachsen-Anhalt | Kreisliga Sachsen Kreisliga Thüringen 1. Kreisklasse Brandenburg 1. Kreisklasse Sachsen-Anhalt | Kreisliga Mittelrhein Kreisliga Niederrhein Kreisliga A Westfalen | Kreisliga Mittelrhein Kreisliga Niederrhein Kreisliga A Westfalen | Bezirksklasse Saarland | Bezirksklasse Saarland | Bezirksliga Bayern Kreisliga Baden 1. Kreisliga Südbaden Kreisoberliga Hessen Regionenliga Württemberg | Bezirksliga Bayern Kreisliga Baden 1. Kreisliga Südbaden Kreisoberliga Hessen Regionenliga Württemberg |
| VIII | VIII | 1. Kreisklasse Niedersachsen | 1. Kreisklasse Niedersachsen | 1. Kreisklasse Sachsen | 1. Kreisklasse Sachsen | Kreisliga B Westfalen | Kreisliga B Westfalen | | | Kreisliga Bayern 2. Kreisliga Südbaden Kreisliga A Hessen Bezirksliga Württemberg | Kreisliga Bayern 2. Kreisliga Südbaden Kreisliga A Hessen Bezirksliga Württemberg |
| IX | IX | 2. Kreisklasse Niedersachsen | 2. Kreisklasse Niedersachsen | 2. Kreisklasse Sachsen | 2. Kreisklasse Sachsen | | | | | Kreisklasse Bayern Kreisliga B Hessen Kreisliga Württemberg | Kreisklasse Bayern Kreisliga B Hessen Kreisliga Württemberg |
| X | X | | | | | | | | | A-Klasse Bayern | A-Klasse Bayern |
Source:"German football leagues". Fussball.de. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
* All leagues on same level run parallel.

## National team

The Germany women's national football team, organised by the DFB, are the only women's team ever to have successfully defended the FIFA Women's World Cup, winning in 2003 under coach Tina Theune-Meyer and 2007 under Silvia Neid. They also won eight UEFA Women's Championships (1989, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013).

## Women's Honours
### Major competitions

FIFA Women's World Cup
* Champions (2): 2003, 2007
* Runners-up (1): 1995
* Fourth place (2): 1991, 2015
UEFA Women's Championship
* Champions (8): 1989, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013
* Runners-up (1): 2022
* Fourth place (1): 1993
Summer Olympic Games
* Gold Medal (1): 2016
* Bronze Medal (3): 2000, 2004, 2008
Overview :
| Event | 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | 4th place |
| FIFA Women's World Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| UEFA Women's Championship | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Summer Olympic Games | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 11 | 2 | 3 | 3 |