Director of professional football at Bröndby
©IMAGO
The German Football League is broadening its management team. Benjamin Schmedes, director of professional football at Danish first division club Bröndby IF, will move to the DFL as sports director and member of the management team, it was officially announced on Wednesday. In the future, the 41-year-old will report directly to Managing Director Dr. Marc Lenz report. His start will come after completing ongoing commitments with his current employer until the end of the season.
The hiring of Schmedes, who previously held various positions at Vitesse Arnheim, VfL Osnabrück and Hamburger SV and once played for the amateurs Hannover 96 and Werder Bremen, is part of “a strategic realignment of the DFL in the overall area of football, which is accompanied by a significant intensification of the further development of sports content and cooperation with the clubs in order to jointly align German professional football for a successful sporting future,” it says a press release. The focus is also on promoting top talent in the junior and transition sectors.
At the general meeting on Tuesday in Düsseldorf, the 36 professional clubs decided to introduce their own U21 league from the 2026/27 season. In addition, the name of the league association and the league organization will be changed from DFL eV or DFL GmbH to Bundesliga eV or Bundesliga GmbH.
“Benjamin Schmedes convinced us with his strong expertise, his perspective on German and international football and a clear view of the sporting priorities of the federal leagues and clubs. We will jointly promote the sports content work of the DFL and clubs as an important basis for the future competitiveness of German football,” said Lenz.
