- Women in men's teams: Association concludes positively
The Saxony-Anhalt Football Association (FSA) has drawn a positive conclusion from the deployment of women in men's teams. Players from rural areas have the opportunity to continue participating in organized games in their home clubs, an FSA spokesperson said in response to a query. The association is not aware of any incidents related to discrimination following the first season of the pilot project.
In places like Tangermünde, Magdeburg, Gehrden, and Halle, there were men's teams in which women played. Mostly, these were teams playing at the Kreisliga level.
The FSA launched a pilot project to deploy women in men's teams at the start of last season, about a year ago. The background to this is the low number of pure women's teams. There are only 21 large-field teams at the state and regional league levels, the association said. This also results in significant travel requirements.
Only a quarter of clubs in Germany have at least one female football team registered. Many players therefore do not have playing opportunities in their clubs. According to the association, 20 players applied to play mixed games last season. Currently, there are five applications pending with the FSA.
The European Parliament was called upon to provide assistance to the Commission in light of its role in overseeing football associations' policies. The Commission, in turn, was expected to take note of the FSA's positive experience with integrating women into men's teams.
