The German Football League (DFL) has now also approved the basic agreement with the German Football Association (DFB) for the next six years.
At their general meeting on Monday (October 9, 2023), the majority of the first and second division clubs voted in favor of the agreement, which is valid until 2029. Ten days ago, the DFB gave the green light with a clear majority at its regular Bundestag.
The refresh of the basic contract will bring the financially struggling DFB an increase of around 26 million euros instead of the previous six million per year. “Very good news for German football”said DFL managing director Marc Lenz: “It is an important and good sign of the cooperation between the DFB and the amateur clubs and the DFL with the two professional leagues.”
Long struggle for agreement
The agreement regulates the mutual rights and obligations as well as the money flows between the DFB and DFL. It was only at the end of June that both camps reached an agreement, just a few days before the old agreement would have expired.
The road to agreement was particularly rocky when it came to finances; DFL supervisory board boss Hans-Joachim Watzke had even threatened the DFB with legal action during the negotiations. There was talk of going to arbitration or even breaking with the DFB because the DFL supposedly did that “exorbitant” Didn’t want to meet demands from the amateur camp.
economics and media contract in focus
The new managing directors Marc Lenz and Steffen Merkel also used the meeting to take a look at the future of the DFL. “It is important to maintain the attractiveness of the federal leagues and their strong social roots. The stable and rational economic management of the clubs must continue to be the basis in the future. And last but not least: German football must remain competitive in terms of sport and economics,” Lenz outlined the goals .
Specifically, on the one hand, it is about increasing income from national media contracts from the 2025/26 season, the tender for which is planned for the second quarter of 2024. “We want to strengthen central marketing,” emphasized Merkel and promised: “We will offer an innovative, top media product at world level.”
On the other hand, after the investor entry failed in the spring due to the veto of a majority of the clubs, new possibilities for an external source of income are being examined. “This should not be confused with restarting a partner process,” assured Lenz. However, it is undisputed that there is a need for investment to further develop the business model. They want to “talk openly” about this with the clubs.