New study shows German football remains male-dominated

The top leagues of German football remain a largely male environment. A new study reveals that only seven clubs have women in upper management levels.

https://p.dw.com/p/5JVuL Advertisement The nonprofit organization "Fussball kann mehr" (FKM –– Football Can Do More) has released its third report on diversity in professional German football. This time, all 36 teams in the top two divisions took part, and the results reveal a familiar tale of dominance . A revealing 29 of the 36 clubs have an all-male management team.

There was a noticeable increase in women in top management positions in the 2025-26 season though, with four of the 18 new appointments to top management positions being women. The previous season, only one of the 19 open positions at the time were filled by a woman. RB Leipzig's Tatjana Haenni, who became the first female CEO in the Bundesliga in late 2025 , is one of them. Nicole Kumpis of Eintracht Braunschweig remains the only female president of a club in the top two flights. Kathleen Krüger's appointment at HSV came after the study's cutoff, boosting the original numbers.