Bayern sets standards: Dreesen takes German women’s soccer to task | OneFootball

With the purchase of the Sportpark Unterhaching, FC Bayern is sending a strong signal for women’s soccer. CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen makes it clear that the investment is a commitment – not just to the Bayern women, but to German women’s soccer as a whole

With the acquisition of the Sportpark Unterhaching, FC Bayern has set another milestone in the development of its women’s team. For more than seven million euros, the Munich club has not only secured a new home for the FCB women’s home games, but is also sending a clear signal to the competition and the whole of German women’s soccer. The days when infrastructure and marketing were on the back burner should finally be over

Until now, the Bayern women have played their home games at the Bayern Campus. However, growing spectator interest and the increasing sporting importance of the team have made it clear that this solution has reached its limits. Unterhaching is now to provide the right stage to combine sporting success and economic development. For CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen, this investment is far more than a change of location – it is a commitment

Dreesen calls for the next step

In an interview with the Münchner Abendzeitung newspaper, Dreesen made it unmistakably clear that women’s soccer in Germany as a whole must enter a new phase. „This investment alone shows the dimensions in which the clubs are thinking,“ explained the Bayern boss, pointing out that it is not just about the Bundesliga team. The girls‘ and youth sector must also be developed in a targeted manner in order to remain competitive in the long term

Dreesen openly addresses a central problem: internationally, women’s soccer in Germany is in danger of losing ground if the economic conditions do not improve. Salaries are rising rapidly, but income is not increasing at the same rate. „This is a development that cannot be sustained in the long term,“ warned the 28-year-old

His concern is clearly formulated: without structural growth, top German talent will sooner or later look abroad, where financially more attractive conditions beckon

Infrastructure and marketing as the key

For Dreesen, the purchase of Sportpark Unterhaching is therefore just one building block in a larger overall picture. He calls for a joint rethink by all parties involved. More fans in the stadiums are essential, but this also requires the right infrastructure. If existing venues are too small, investments must be made consistently – as FC Bayern has now demonstrated

The CEO also sees a considerable backlog in media marketing. In his view, better television contracts, more attractive kick-off times and, above all, less overlap with men’s soccer are decisive factors in increasing reach and revenue. Because ultimately, according to Dreesen, the economic attractiveness of women’s soccer grows with the attractiveness of the product on the pitch

Dreesen is convinced that this appeal exists. Women’s soccer has developed enormously in recent years, becoming more dynamic, more physical and significantly faster. For him, it is clear that the sporting quality has long provided the basis for further growth – now the environment must follow suit

With the move to Unterhaching, FC Bayern is consciously taking on a pioneering role. The message is clear: if you want to keep up internationally in the future, you have to invest, become more professional and work together on marketing. For the Bayern women, the new sports park is both an opportunity and an obligation – and a clear wake-up call for German women’s soccer.