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Summary report of the task force “Future of Professional Football” published

DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga x Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB)
DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga x Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB)

The summary report of the task force “Future of Professional Football” is now available to download. This nine-page document sets out and explains 17 recommendations of the task force for the DFL and the 36 clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. In addition, a future outlook outlines the goals that the task force believes both divisions should work towards with a view to year 2030. The plan is that the Executive Committee of the DFL sets the ball rolling by looking at which possible tools and measures could be useful and therefore should be implemented in the short, medium or long term. The 36 clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 will have the final decision at a DFL Members Assembly.

Summarising the key results of the dialogue within the task force, the report was prepared over the last few weeks under the leadership of Prof. Heidi Möller, who unveiled it in a virtual press conference. Prior to this, the psychologist and Managing Director of the Department of Psychology at the University of Kassel had chaired all the meetings of the three working groups of the task force “Future of Professional Football” between the beginning of October and the end of January. In three meetings per working group, 37 experts from the fields of sport, society, science, politics and business addressed major issues and questions relating to the future of professional football in open-ended interdisciplinary discussions. The approach essentially consisted of reflecting on past developments, discussing matters and devising practical ways forward, when required. In a final virtual meeting last week, all working groups discussed the summary report, which was then edited, supplemented and finalised under the guidance of Prof. Möller.

Christian Seifert, Speaker of the Executive Committee of the DFL, says: “On behalf of the Executive Committee of the DFL and myself, I would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work. The outstanding commitment of the task force provides further motivation to advance the ideas arising from this unique interdisciplinary dialogue and the content devised so far. In this respect, we regard the summary report not as the end of the dialogue, but as the start of a continuous process of communication with key stakeholders of professional football.”

Prof. Heidi Möller says: “By setting up the task force, the DFL has ventured into entirely new ground. All kinds of aspects were discussed in highly constructive debates. The summary report reflects a large number of the recommendations and ideas of all task force members, and I think it is a magnificent outcome. Given the wide-ranging perspectives on the complex and sometimes highly emotionally charged issues, it is clear that everyone involved had to accept compromises with a view to achieving a mutually acceptable outcome. Based on what was a positive experience, I wholeheartedly welcome the fact that the DFL intends to continue the interdisciplinary dialogue in order to maintain a platform for many voices to discuss these aspects.

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Summary report of the task force “Future of Professional Football”