At its first general meeting on Thursday, the Women’s Bundesliga FBL e. V. made key decisions regarding the future direction of the Women’s Bundesliga – and rejected the DFB’s plans for a joint venture for the time being.
In recent months, the 14 clubs in the Women’s Bundesliga had repeatedly discussed a possible merger with the DFB. In a joint venture, the clubs would work together with the association to further boost the league’s development in terms of marketing, commercialization, and infrastructure.
Framework conditions not met
However, at the first general meeting of the FBL, which was only founded in December 2025, the proposal for a joint venture with the DFB was rejected. As the Bundesliga clubs announced on Thursday, the communicated framework conditions and positions cannot be met.
Katharina Kiel, president of the FBL and director of Eintracht Frankfurt, made it clear in a press release in Frankfurt: “For us, the decisive factor is that the future of the Women’s Bundesliga must be shaped where the sporting and economic engine lies—at the clubs. They bear the greatest responsibility for investment and implementation and therefore need clear responsibilities, a high degree of freedom to act, and a governance structure that accelerates growth and increases competitiveness.”
Further talks planned
However, the talks also yielded some positive results: “Even though we did not find a way to collaborate within the framework of a joint venture, the process was important because it clearly identified the key questions and answers.” This clarity will be “taken into further discussions with the DFB.”
The DFB regrets the FBL’s decision “that the Women’s Bundesliga should not be organized under the umbrella of a joint venture in the future. However, the DFB remains willing to talk to the FBL e.V. and the clubs about the further professionalization of the Women’s Bundesliga.“
The association also made it clear: ”We want to make progress on this issue and remain interested in finding good solutions. The ongoing international development of women’s soccer alone demands this.”
One hundred million euros to be invested
The association will now continue to run the Bundesliga ambitiously under its own umbrella: “The DFB also stands by its decision to invest one hundred million euros in the development of women’s and girls’ soccer in the coming years.”