DW: Anja Mittag, you managed to get promoted early with RB Leipzig in the second division. What does it mean to you to be back in the Bundesliga, albeit as a coach and not as a player?
Anja Mittag: For me personally it’s something different to experience this kind of success from a new perspective – off the field and not on it – and to participate in the development of the players, our game and our philosophy. It’s great to see our team developing. And finally to be in the women’s Bundesliga again.
The RB Leipzig men’s team has had to put up with a lot of criticism because of the club’s history and structure. That’s not the case with the women’s team. What do you think that could be?
When you hear the name RB Leipzig, the first thing you think of is the men’s team. In a way, the name represents success. There are therefore many hopes that the RB women’s team can achieve the same. And a big name might mean some money too, so you can stay on top and not come off straight away. But in order to stay in the league and establish ourselves there, we will take it slow. It’s certainly not the case that we’ll be playing in the Champions League next year. We want to patiently build something.
Anja Mittag has been an assistant coach at RB since 2021, but still plays occasionally at amateur club Chemie Leipzig
It’s probably more like other teams saying: “Hey, congratulations RB Leipzig, you made it to the Bundesliga. We’re happy because we now have a good team in our league that makes the league more competitive.” I think that could be one of the reasons why the women’s team is less unpopular.
The number of spectators in the women’s Bundesliga has risen sharply. Is using the men’s infrastructure the only way to promote women’s football?
I wouldn’t say it’s the only way, but I think it’s definitely helpful. But I also think it’s much more difficult for women’s teams to stay on the same level, also financially, because they need a lot of support from their sponsors, the city and so on. And it is not an automatic guarantee of success. It still takes time to build something. It’s great to see that all teams in the women’s Bundesliga have the courage to open up big stadiums and just give it a try. You can see that the success is great and women’s football should continue to grow in the same way.
Do you think that you will be able to play regularly with your team in the Red Bull Arena in the long term?
Probably not next season, but it would be great to do that one day. But that certainly takes time. And you also have to remember that it’s women’s football [in Leipzig – Anm. d. Red.] not so many years.
At the end of her career, Anja Mittag (right) was also successful as a player with RB
So I don’t see us playing every game in the Red Bull Arena, it’s not possible yet. But maybe in a smaller arena to get maybe 4000 to 5000 spectators per game. There is still a long way to go, but I see a development.
Anja Mittag, born in 1985 in what was then Karl-Marx-Stadt [heute Chemnitz], was active as a striker in the Bundesliga and with internationally renowned clubs in Sweden and France. She won numerous titles, including the German championship six times and – with Turbine Potsdam – the Champions League twice. Mittag scored 50 goals in 158 games for the German national team. She was Olympic champion, world champion and three times European champion with Germany. She has been an assistant coach for the women at RB Leipzig since summer 2021.
The interview was adapted from English. The interviewer was Mark Meadows.