Future Leaders in Football Camp 2024
In recent weeks, football has once again demonstrated its unique ability to unite people. The UEFA EURO 2024 showcased Europe’s top male football talents, reminding audiences in stadiums and at home of the profound impact and unifying power of sport. However, beyond the pitch, significant transformations are equally crucial.
The global football sector remains traditionally male-dominated, highlighting an urgent need to promote women not only as players but also as leaders. Recognizing this, GIZ on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in collaboration with the German Football Association (DFB) and Volkswagen (VW), is dedicated to fostering young female leadership in football through feminist development cooperation.
The "Future Leaders in Football" Camp aims to equip young female leaders from partner countries with essential skills. The program focuses on enhancing management and leadership competencies, effective crisis communication, and addressing gender roles and discrimination in and through sports. This initiative seeks to empower these women to become role models and agents of change in their respective fields.
This year's highlight edition in Berlin brought together participants from 17 countries across four continents. Over a three-day intensive workshop, these young women refined their skills with the guidance of distinguished speakers from the sports sector, as well as experts in management and public relations. They explored the potential and challenges of fostering greater diversity and gender equity in the traditionally male-dominated sports industry.
A significant aspect of the camp was the development of individual impact projects, which the participants will implement in their home countries and organizations, ensuring the program’s benefits extend beyond the workshop.
The camp concluded with a ceremonial event at the VW-DRIVE Studio in Berlin. During this event, participants received certificates, and representatives from GIZ, DFB, and VW provided additional insights and encouragement. Key figures such as Ina Hommers (GIZ Director General Client Liaison and Business Development), Dr. Heike Kuhn (BMZ Head of Education Division), and Heike Ullrich, the General Secretary of the DFB and former national goalkeeper and TV expert Almuth Schult, addressed the participants.
Ina Hommers emphasized the importance of creating safe spaces for these young leaders to foster exchange and mutual learning: "The young leaders are primarily supported in creating safe spaces where they can generate this exchange and learn from each other."
Such initiatives are crucial in promoting diversity and societal development within the sports organizations the participants work in as well as their communities.
by Katharina Wolf, photo credits: GIZ & DFB/Getty