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Lina Magull from FC Bayern (left) and Eintracht striker Laura Freigang meet in the opening game
Photo: Moritz Kegler / IMAGO / Jan Huebner
12,464 fans – never before in the history of the women's Bundesliga have there been more spectators at a league game in the stadium.
The record dates back to 2014 and was set in Wolfsburg.
And in the evening it should be a thing of the past.
Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Bayern (7.15 p.m. / TV: Eurosport and MagentaSport) open the new season in Deutsche Bank Park, the stadium where the Eintracht men play their home games.
51,500 people fit in here.
When asked by SPIEGEL, a spokesman for Eintracht said there will probably not be that many at the opening game, but there will be a new record for most fans at a women's Bundesliga game.
A number of vice European champions will be in action: Giulia Gwinn, Lina Magull and Klara Bühl for Bayern, for Eintracht, including Laura Freigang and Nicole Anyomi.
The European Championship set attendance records – and the Bundesliga?
18 million people in Germany alone watched the DFB women's European Championship final against England on TV.
The clubs and the German Football Association hope to benefit from the hype of the European Championship in England.
An idea: selected games will be played in larger arenas, like the opening game on Friday night.
It is also certain that Werder Bremen's game against SC Freiburg will be played in the Weser Stadium on matchday eight.
As a result of these measures alone, the average number of viewers in the new round should increase significantly - most recently it was just 800 fans per game on average.
In general, he has been at a low level for years, even the 2011 World Cup in his own country and the hype that arose at the time could hardly change anything about it.
How many fans have come to the stadiums so far:
After all, getting tickets is easy.
All ticket shops of the twelve Bundesliga clubs are linked via the online portal fbl.tickets.
Tickets for the opening game are also available there and cost between 5 and 12 euros.
Who is favorite?
Since 2013, the Bundesliga champion has been called either VfL Wolfsburg or Bayern Munich.
This is unlikely to change much in the new season.
The two clubs have the highest budgets and strengthened in the summer: At VfL, national goalkeeper Merle Frohms will be in goal from this season, replacing Almuth Schult, who has moved to Los Angeles in the USA.
In addition, the German top talent Jule Brand is now under contract in Wolfsburg (previously Hoffenheim).
The most spectacular transfer, however, was made by Munich: The English European champion Georgia Stanway came to FC Bayern from Manchester City and strengthened the midfield.
Bayern also have a new coach in Alexander Straus from Norway.
He will have to prove whether he meets the top international standards.
The 46-year-old comes from Norwegian champions Sandviken TF / SK Brann.
There will be a first showdown for the title on matchday five when Wolfsburg welcomes Bayern to the men's large VfL stadium.
Eintracht Frankfurt and TSG Hoffenheim are likely to be fighting for third place in the Champions League.
Do BVB or HSV also play in the Bundesliga?
Experts are convinced that with Borussia Dortmund, Schalke 04 or Hamburger SV in the women's Bundesliga, there would be significantly greater interest in the league.
The traditional clubs could mobilize more fans than some other Bundesliga club, which would attract more sponsors and increase TV revenue.
These clubs now also have women's teams, but at a low level.
BVB started last year with its newly founded team in the district league, Schalke now also plays in the district league, and HSV in the regional league.
However, Schalke would like to increase its commitment in the future.
S04 sports director Peter Knäbel told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
»We cannot avoid responsibility, we see the development around us, locally and internationally.
It's time."
In England, the men's professional clubs were made more responsible a few years ago - the Women's Super League is a pure professional league with prominent clubs.
There is no obligation for men's professional clubs from Germany to have a women's section and there should not be one for the time being.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, former CEO of FC Bayern, asked the men's top clubs for financial help.
»The success at the European Championship must not have been just a flare-up.
That's why I say: It is a conditio sine qua non (necessary condition) that the macho sport of football is now also investing in women's football," he told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung".
Will there be a basic salary for female soccer players in Germany in the future?
The number of spectators should increase, and the professionalization of the German league will also be an issue.
Bayern captain Lina Magull had suggested paying a minimum wage to footballers in the first and second divisions in the future.
»We footballers should earn so well from the second division that nobody has to work part-time anymore.
We're talking about a minimum salary of 2,000 or 3,000 euros a month.
This is how you can promote sustainable development in women's football," said the offensive player in July.
The German national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg has also demanded a basic salary.
However, no concrete measures have yet been decided on.
Wolfsburg coach Tommy Stroot said a basic salary is good, but that financially weaker clubs should also be able to afford it.
A smaller first division team like SGS Essen could hardly take this step at the moment if income does not increase elsewhere.
In addition, other conditions should improve in order to reach a higher level, such as the expansion of the medical departments and better training places.
“There are some places where the dressing room is very small and there is only one toilet for 18 players.
Where the physiotherapist can't set up his table," Wolfsburg's ex-goalkeeper Schult told SPIEGEL in the summer and listed several Bundesliga teams as examples.
England has to offer better working conditions due to its stronger interlocking between men's and women's departments.
Who broadcasts the games?
According to its football boss Mario Nauen, the pay-TV broadcaster Sky wants to try to get the TV rights to the Bundesliga in the future.
But it's not that far yet.
As in the previous season, all 132 matches will be played live on the Telekom streaming service MagentaSport and are therefore not accessible to the general public.
Eurosport also broadcasts one match on free TV on each match day.
On Saturday there should be summaries in the ARD sports show.
ARD also has live rights, the first broadcast is the duel between TSG Hoffenheim and champions Wolfsburg in the Rhein-Neckar-Arena on September 24 (5:55 p.m.) on the first.
What's next for the German national selection?
Alexandra Popp and her teammates were back in action after the European Championships and qualified for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
It is doubtful whether the tournament will achieve similarly good TV figures as the European Championship in England next summer.
Because of the time difference, the DFB games could take place during the German night or early in the morning and thus at unfavorable TV times.
However, the DFB has learned lessons from the EM and is now increasingly focusing on events that can be better marketed.
A test match against France will take place in Dresden on October 7th during prime time on Friday evening.
Recently, criticism has been leveled at the fact that the DFB plays its home games in arenas that are far too small in the afternoon.
Ex-national player Toni Kroos called these appointments in the past "a cheek".
In addition, the DFB selection will go on an international trip in November and play two friendlies against the USA.
Duels against the US world champions are not the worst advertisement.
