Julia Simic (formerly FC Bayern) only experienced a fully professional women's soccer league in England.
She knows why German professionals follow the call to foreign countries.
Julia Simic played for Bayern Munich for eight years.
After working for German clubs, she moved to England in 2018.
In the interview she talks about the progress, the breathtaking things the English league has made and explains where German women's football has to catch up.
Melanie Behringer, 2007 world champion, is also demanding more from German women's football and clubs.
Munich
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Julia Simic
is German champion, DFB Cup winner and former national player. She had to be 29 years old to experience a fully professional women's soccer league. The
FA Women's Cup Final
between
Manchester City
and West
Ham United
was one of the greatest days of her career. At that moment she knew: moving to England was the best decision. Even today, Simic gets
goose bumps
when she talks about it: “Even the way through the tunnel to the stadium
makes your stomach tingle
. Out to
Wembley Stadium
with
48,000 spectators
. The view into the audience while the West Ham anthem is playing. Plus the fireworks! I only know that from the NBA. "
In 2018 Julia Simic moved
to
West Ham United in
England
after holding positions at FC Bayern Munich (2005 to 2013),
VfL Wolfsburg
and
SC Freiburg
.
“After 13 years in Germany, I was attracted to other countries.
In recent years, the other European countries have caught up extremely, the English league has now overtaken the German.
The upswing is amazing! ”Ten years ago, the move of a Bundesliga player abroad would have been unimaginable.
Today the top players are drawn to England and France.
Pauline Bremer
went to Olympique Lyon in 2015.
Sara Däbritz
moved to Paris-Saint Germain in 2019.
Melanie Leupolz,
Captain and star at FC Bayern, joined Chelsea in 2020.
Women's football: The top stars are under contract in the English league
The women's Bundesliga is becoming less attractive.
The big stars play in France or England.
Lucy Bronze is FIFA World Player of the Year 2020. The female version of Sergio Ramos plays for Manchester City.
Tobin Heath is two-time world champion with the USA.
She is the Messi among women.
She also moved to Manchester United.
German women's football: lack of spectators, investments and serious signals
Fame and fans await players in the Women's Soccer League.
48,000 fans came to the stadium for the 2019 FA Cup final between Manchester City and West Ham United, and more than 2.2 million watched the game live on screen.
The 2019 DFB Cup final between VfL Wolfsburg and SC Freiburg in Cologne was watched live by around 17,000 spectators.
There were around three million in front of the television.
To blame a lack of interest on the audience in Germany would be too easy.
The problem starts with the professional clubs: only 17 of the 56 professional clubs have a professional women's team.
In England every first and second division club invests money in a serious women's division.
Tobias Bracht: "The DFB has to position itself!"
“The DFB still has all options in hand. In order to be able to shape women's football professionally in the long term, the DFB has to position itself on how it should continue, ”says
Tobias Bracht
. The 32-year-old provides strategic advice to the women's Bundesliga clubs. Bracht collected all the wishes of the women's Bundesliga clubs and presented them to the DFB. Instead of drawing horror scenarios, he names construction sites that women's football must tackle as quickly as possible: the
broadcasting rights of the games
and the
infrastructure of the women's teams
.
Even in the regional league, upscale amateur footballers often have better opportunities than female professionals.
In England fans can watch all women's games live for free.
In Germany, only the top women's games run on the payment channel
Magenta
.
Julia Simic: "In Freiburg we weren't allowed to train on the men's heated lawn."
In terms of infrastructure, the players in England have
top conditions
at their disposal.
Even with relegated players in the first division, the players hardly lack anything, says Julia Simic.
From the
sauna
to the
treatment rooms
, the
lawn heating
to the
canteen
and the
fitness studios
, everything is state-of-the-art
In winter we often had to drive to SC Freiburg as far as Switzerland because we weren't allowed to train on the men's heated lawn. ”
The work off the pitch is also at a higher level abroad:
“ In Germany, often only the coaches and goalkeeping coaches are permanently employed.
In England, on the other hand, the physiotherapists and video analysts also work full-time.
That offers you completely new possibilities and strengthens the cohesion, ”explains Julia Simic.
"In England, most men's professional clubs take their own women's team very seriously."
International comparison: Even the top teams in Germany will soon be overtaken
In Germany, the women's teams often only serve to improve the
image
or are viewed as irrelevant.
Compared to
Tobias Bracht draws Julia Simic's
horror scenario
: “Wolfsburg and Bayern can currently
beat
any team in the
Women's Soccer League
.
But here, too, it is foreseeable that the
level of performance
in England will continue to rise and the top teams in Germany will be overtaken. "
World champion Behringer also sees the men's clubs as responsible
Melanie Behringer
,
2007 world champion
and former
captain
of
FC Bayern Munich
, is hoping for more support from the Bundesliga side.
The clubs have to invest money and use their reach to drum for women's football: “Women just need men.
You are behind with the money. "
+
Melanie Behringer celebrated the men's and women's championship at FC Bayern in 2016 as captain together with Philipp Lahm.
© imago / MIS
There are serious signals from German clubs like
Behringer suggests: “With
Sydney Lohmann was able to attract a player to Bayern who, at 20 years of age, is one of the best.
For me she will be the figurehead at the DFB.
That is an important sign that such players can be kept in Germany. "
+
Sydney Lohmann (20) extended until 2024 at Bayern Munich.
Julia Simic calls for players voice, initiative and investment
Julia Simic demands that all players in the German league should be professionals: "We must continue to invest in the league in order to make it more professional." In contrast to the German top teams, players from the other teams often practice one in addition to football Main job. “The focus on football is missing. For more prestige and quality, football must become a
main job
for all women's Bundesliga
professionals
. But Simic wants more than money and reach. The players should and are allowed to
demand
recognition and money
because they have worked hard for the respect.
"My appeal is: take it into your own hands!"
According to Simic, many more women should use social networks so that their own player voice can be heard.
The 31-year-old calls for a rethink:
help create instead of running along
.
Johanna Grimm