DFL appeals to role models
Ilja Kaenzig, managing director of VfL Bochum, sees “the core business” of football threatened by climate change. “Torrential rain or periods of drought mean that training sessions can no longer be held or games have to be postponed,” said the 50-year-old on Wednesday at the German Football League (DFL) Sustainability Forum in Berlin. Games are one of the greatest assets, the highest value of a league. “And that is in danger,” said Kaenzig.
At the Berlin “Futurium”, representatives of several interest groups spoke on the topic of sustainability in professional football. “A lot has happened at the clubs and also in the DFL. We have to take responsibility and use our reach positively,” demanded DFL managing director Steffen Merkel. The DFL adopted minimum criteria last year. The 36 clubs from the Bundesliga and 2nd league now have to fulfill these requirements in order to receive the license.
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“For us, it is now a multi-stage process to create comparability between the clubs. At some point it will certainly be a question of whether a ranking should be created to see who is already and how far along in implementation,” said Merkel. Among other things, clubs must measure their carbon footprint and hire a sustainability officer.
On the way to a more sustainable future, the DFL also appealed to the role models of professionals. “Players and coaches have a completely different effect on young people than prohibition signs, parents or teachers. “It has a completely different appeal,” said Anne-Kathrin Laufmann. Laufmann is a member of the DFL Sustainability Commission and Managing Director of Sport & Sustainability at SV Werder Bremen. “But there are many who sometimes don’t have the courage to show that to the outside world. The DFL and the clubs need to give the players more support.”
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