Football is one of our greatest passions. People love to watch it, bet on it with Betting Bonus Codes and see the games live. Now, when you think about football, you first think of male players playing the game. However, women’s football has been growing in popularity ever since it first originated. Every month, hundreds of thousands of fans crowd into stadiums and tune in to watch the Frauen Bundesliga (Women’s Bundesliga), which has existed since the 1975/1976 season. With 18 teams from all over the country, this league has already become a major fixture for many women in Germany. But few people outside of Germany are aware that this league came about due to a prolonged fight for equality. Let’s dive into that.
The beginnings
The Frauen Bundesliga (Women Bundesliga) is a women’s association football league in Germany. Established in 1970, it is the highest division of the country’s football league system for women.
The Frauen Bundesliga was formed in 1970 as a single division of eight teams. In its first year, it was played in two regional divisions with a small national playoff at the end. It was not until 1972 that a second division was added to the league. The first nationwide professional club competition was played in 1974–75 and won by Turbine Potsdam.
Expansions
In 1978–79, the league expanded to two regional divisions again; this time, each division had ten clubs. The top four played each other at the end of the season to determine which clubs would participate in the German women’s football championship final, which took place on 22 May 1979 in Frankfurt am Main.
After this season, a new system was introduced: The top eight teams from each division would play each other twice more for another set of games and points were awarded based on their final placements within those games.
The fight for equality and rights
In the early days of the Frauen Bundesliga, it was common for players to be paid less than their male counterparts. This disparity was often excused because many of the female players were students who were not paid at all for playing soccer. Now, however, there are more professional players involved in the league than ever before, and they are being paid much higher salaries than they used to be.
Additionally, there are several regulations that govern how many hours per week a player can practice and play soccer during a given season. These rules are designed to ensure that each player has time off from training so that she can rest her body and mind before getting back out on the field again.
Great players
The Frauen Bundesliga has seen many great players over the years—some of whom have moved on to play in other leagues around the world. One such player was Birgit Prinz, who played in Germany from 1984 through 1988 before moving to Italy and then England; she won three UEFA Women’s Cups with 1-FC Cologne before joining Arsenal Ladies in London.