DFB: members, competitions, history – everything important about the German Football Association
DFB: members, The German Football Association organizes the national teams, but has a number of other tasks. Everything you need to know about the DFB.
Frankfurt – The German Football Association (DFB) is the largest umbrella organization in German football. In addition to the German men’s national team , the women’s DFB team and numerous national youth teams, the DFB organizes a number of competitions. The most prominent tournament is the men’s DFB Cup.
| Surname | German Football Association |
|---|---|
| founding | January 28, 1900 in Leipzig |
| Headquarters | Frankfurt am Main |
| number of clubs | 24,481 |
| number of members | 7,044,052 (as of 2021) |
DFB: History of the German Football Association
The DFB was founded in Leipzig on January 28, 1900, after the decision was made to found a football association at the “General German Sports Festival”. At that time, the DFB had 86 members. At the top was Ferdinand Hueppe. In 1904, the DFB joined FIFA . The first games of the German national team took place in 1908, but this was not very successful: the DFB selection lost the friendly match against Switzerland 3:5. Two years later, in 1910, 1,361 football clubs with almost 110,000 members were organized in the DFB.
In the time of National Socialism, the DFB initially existed. However, the association was restructured and lost its federal character. However, on July 1, 1940, the DFB was dissolved by a membership resolution. The reestablishment then took place on January 21, 1950 in Stuttgart. The DFB team unexpectedly celebrated its first major success in 1954, when the team around Fritz Walter surprisingly won 3:2 against the Hungarian national team and celebrated the world championship title.
How many members does the DFB have?
The DFB has over seven million members. Of these, around 1.8 million players in 130,000 teams take part in the various competitions of all age groups. The DFB is the largest sports association in the world. Over 24,400 clubs are divided between the following 21 regional associations:
DFB: Structures and structure of the German Football Association
At the head of the DFB is the central administration in Frankfurt am Main, which is responsible for the five regional associations North (NFV), West (WDFV), South (SFV), Southwest (FRVS) and Northeast (NOFV), to which in turn 21 state and regional associations belong. The German Football League (DFL) with its 38 licensed professional clubs is also a member of the DFB. The subordinate associations are each represented in the Presidium, the Executive Board and the Bundestag of the DFB.
Every three years, the DFB Bundestag elects the executive committee and the board and decides on the statutes and regulations of the football association. The Presidium manages the operational business of the DFB and represents the association externally. Experts in specialist committees and commissions are also responsible for operational business. The Executive Board discusses the reports and advises the Executive Committee. The board consists of members of the Executive Committee, the presidents of the state and regional associations and twelve representatives of the DFL. The chairmen of the committees, legal bodies, the auditors and the national coach, currently Hansi Flick , and the team boss also attend the meetings of the board. They have an advisory role.
DFB: What are the duties of the President?
The President represents the DFB externally and chairs the meetings of the Executive Committee and coordinates its work. So far there have only been men at the top of the association:
| Period | President |
|---|---|
| 1900 to 1904 | Ferdinand Hueppe |
| 1904 to 1905 | Friedrich Wilhelm Nohe |
| 1905 to 1925 | Gottfried Hinze |
| 1925 to 1945 | Felix Linnemann |
| 1950 to 1962 | Peco Bauwens |
| 1962 to 1975 | Herman Gosmann |
| 1975 to 1992 | Herman Neuberger |
| 1992 to 2001 | Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder |
| 2004 to 2012 | Theo Zwanziger |
| 2012 to 2015 | Wolfgang Niersbach |
| 2015 to 2016 | Reinhard Rauball and Rainer Koch (interim solution) |
| 2016 to 2019 | Reinhard Grindel |
| 2019 | Reinhard Rauball and Rainer Koch (interim solution) |
| 2019 to 2021 | Fritz Keller |
| 2021 to 2022 | Peter Peters and Rainer Koch (acting) |
| Since 2022 | Bernd Neuendorf |
What are the tasks of the DFB?
The most important task of the DFB is the organization of football competitions, including various leagues and cup competitions. The DFB is also responsible for the German national teams. 23 trainers are responsible for looking after the 15 DFB teams or work in the field of training and further education.
One of the goals of the DFB is to promote young talent in particular. As part of the talent development program, youth players are looked after in 366 bases. The DFB works with professional clubs, state associations, associations and other organizers such as the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB).
DFB Cup and Co.: Which competitions does the German Football Association organize?
The most important football competition in Germany is the men’s Bundesliga. Since 2001, the DFB has organized the Bundesliga together with the German Football League (DFL). The DFB is the sole organizer of the third division, women’s national league, the second women’s division and the junior national leagues.
The DFB’s most prominent competition is the DFB Cup, which has been held since 1952. 64 teams compete against each other every year in the tournament, which is held using the KO system. These include the professional teams from the Bundesliga, the 2nd league and the 3rd league. The field of participants is also supplemented by the champions of the state cups. All DFB competitions at a glance:
The German national team: The figurehead of the DFB
The German men’s national team is the figurehead of the DFB. With four world championship titles (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) and three European championship titles (1972, 1980, 1996), it is one of the most successful teams in the world. In addition, Timo Werner , Leon Goretzka , Matthias Ginter , Joshua Kimmich and Co. won the Confederations tournament in Russia in 2017 with the then national coach Joachim Löw . The team also boasts a number of other successful tournaments, including third place at the 2006 World Cup.
The German national anthem – This is the text
The German national anthem is traditionally played before every game of the DFB-Elf . This is the third stanza of the “Song of the Germans”. The text was written by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1841. The melody had previously been composed by Joseph Haydn. This is the text:
DFB: Women’s national team – successful despite a difficult position
The German women’s national team is one of the most successful teams in the world. Two world championship titles (2003, 2007) and a total of eight European championship titles (1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013) and an Olympic victory in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro are great successes. The women’s DFB team won the bronze medal at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.
Despite the success, the DFB women don’t exactly have it easy. The women first had to fight to be allowed to play football at all. From 1955 to 1970 it was forbidden for women to play soccer. It was immoral as a sport for women, according to the football association. Although this attitude no longer exists in the DFB, the appreciation in the form of financial equality is largely absent. While the men should each receive a bonus of 350,000 euros in the event of a World Cup title in 2018, the DFB promised the women 75,000 euros each if they won the title in the 2019 tournament. (Max Schäfer)
