Full Breakdown
German Football’s Top Management Remains Predominantly Male, New Study Shows
8/27/2026, 10:44:27 PM
Core Findings of the FKM Report
The nonprofit “Fussball kann mehr” (FKM – Football Can Do More) released its third diversity report covering all 36 clubs in Germany’s top two divisions. The study found that 29 clubs still have exclusively male senior management teams. Only nine of the 94 highest-level management positions are held by women, a modest rise from the previous season when just one of 19 new openings was filled by a woman. Four of the 18 new appointments for the 2025-26 season went to women, including Tatjana Haenni, who became the Bundesliga’s first female CEO at RB Leipzig in late 2025.
Data & Statistics
- Clubs with all-male management: 29 of 36
- Women in top-level roles: 9 of 94 (? 9.6 %)
- New female appointments (2025-26): 4 of 18 (? 22 %)
- Female club presidents: Nicole Kumpis (Eintracht Braunschweig) – the sole female president in the top two flights; Kathleen Krüger’s later appointment at HSV increased the count after the study’s cutoff.
- Women on supervisory boards (non-German): < 3 %
- Women coaches in Women’s Bundesliga: 4 of 14 teams (Cologne, Union Berlin, Werder Bremen, Hoffenheim).
The nine women identified in senior roles are: Tatjana Haenni (CEO, RB Leipzig), Luise Gottberg (vice-president, St. Pauli), Hanna Obersteller (vice-president, St. Pauli), Petra Saretz (executive board, Heidenheim), Jennifer Zietz (managing director, women’s football, Union Berlin), Katharina Kienemann (executive committee, Union Berlin), Svenja Schlenker (HR director, Borussia Dortmund), Christina Rühl-Hamers (board member for finance/HR/legal, Schalke), and Anne-Kathrin Laufmann (sports & sustainability director, Werder Bremen).
Official Statements & Responses
FKM co-chair Katja Kraus said the report shows “progress remains slow” and that isolated successes do not reflect systemic change. She noted that the Women’s Bundesliga’s move to operate independently of the DFB could open further pathways for women, but structural barriers persist across both men’s and women’s football.
Why It Matters
With Euro 2029 slated for Germany, the study’s authors hope clubs will accelerate diversity reforms. Persistent male dominance in senior roles may limit the sport’s ability to tap the full talent pool and could affect the perception of German football domestically and internationally.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We would love to report that the spirit of renewal exuded by these top executives is permeating German professional football and that the necessary transformation is in full swing,” — Katja Kraus, co-chair of the FKM advisory board
