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FC Viktoria Berlin are an ambitious side. Currently playing in the Regionalliga Nordost in the third tier in German women’s football, they aim to reach the Frauen-Bundesliga in five years – and change the game in Germany while they’re at it.
A lot has already happened this year. They are under new management and now separate from the men’s club. It is going to be a long journey but the Frauen at Viktoria Berlin are eager to increase the visibility and profitability of the women’s game using every tool they have. “You have more platforms to reach people, from the old lady who reads the newspaper … to the new generation who don’t watch TV anymore, they’re only on YouTube,” says Ariane Hingst, one of the club’s co-founders and a two-times World Cup winner with Germany in 2003 and 2007.
The approach has caught the attention of fans. Home games draw hundreds of supporters, a trend which peaked against Türkiyemspor with an attendance of over 1,700. The match was also broadcast on television, with Der Tagesspiegel reporting a TV audience of 180,000. “It’s a great mix. There are people who are interested in football, but also people who are into female empowerment and want to support it,” Hingst says.
The game was the first from the third division to be broadcast on German TV, and they don’t want to stop there. Hingst sees their success as an incentive to other clubs in Berlin and other regions to start looking more closely at the women’s game. “We don’t say: ‘It’s about Viktoria’, we say: ‘It’s about women’s football’, so we put other clubs on board as well,” she says. “I am a competitive person. The bigger the competition, the better the outcome. When you look at the sporting side, we are competitors, but when you look at the big picture, we want to build something together.”
The inspiration for this new venture is clear: Angel City FC, the NWSL team owned by the actress Natalie Portman and with a star-studded list of investors. However, there are aspects of the American model that cannot be applied to German football, which has its own rules regarding ownership and investment in football clubs. The main difference is that the club cannot start out in the Bundesliga.
“We didn’t want to start in the lowest division and take 20 years to reach the top,” says Hingst. “Viktoria already had a good women’s team and a little bit of a good structure, but no money or manpower to fully support it.” Even though a lot of work has been done over the past six months, she wants to see drastic improvement in women’s football in Germany.
“Our first step is to make the first league professional. With our players, they get some money. It’s the first time in their lives. We want to build something step-by-step, but on the other hand, we also have a lot of structural problems. We don’t have our own training facilities or changing rooms. Last year, they wouldn’t know where they would train, because there were two, three different pitches it could be.”
The former defender, who also works as an assistant coach for Germany women’s under-19 and under-20 teams, credits the 2022 Euros for increased visibility. Germany reached the final, where they lost 2-1 to England.
“We wanted to go live a few months earlier, but it took time until all contracts were signed. It got nuts, and the German team being so successful definitely helped us,” she says. Expectations are even higher for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year. “Next year, I think it’s going to be bigger. We had some highs before, but it wasn’t continuous. So it’s important to maintain the momentum to keep telling these stories.”
As a former Germany international herself, born in Berlin, Hingst feels that clubs in the capital should be more supportive of the women’s game. “I’ve never been able to play on the highest possible stage in my home,” says Hingst. “It’s really bad history for a city that claims to be the city for sports, but it only comes down to the men’s sides. It was time to change that.”
Since Viktoria’s first match under new management in August, the numbers are impressive. With 11 wins in 12 games they are top of their league, having scored 81 goals and conceded only eight. Run almost like a startup, success on the pitch is important but they also focus on building a brand. The six co-founders also wanted to empower other women through football, from paying players a fixed salary to campaigns to raise awareness about the gender pay gap with sponsors. So far, it’s paying off.
“Our story started like a rocket and is in full speed,” says Hingst. “I’m from the sports side, then we have a marketing expert, a financial expert, a media expert, and two who come from the business side. So it’s already quite interesting that we put together a group where each one had the point they were good at.”
Out of the current 87 investors, Hingst believes over 80% are women from different fields, from politics to economics and entertainment. She feels her sporting experience can also come in handy in helping players navigate the game.
“In Germany, even if we finish in first place in our league, we have two more matches to play to actually get to the second league. With my experience, I’m planning to talk to players before these, because it is a big stage. More as a kind of mentorship, if they want to hear about my experience. I’m more than happy to share.”
Talking points
SheBelieves Cup on the horizon The USWNT will face Brazil, Canada and Japan in the SheBelieves Cup. The competition will be played from 16-22 February in Orlando, Nashville and Frisco. Before that, the World Cup holders will visit New Zealand for two games in January.
Fourth-round FA Cup magic The fourth round of the Vitality FA Cup – also known as the one with WSL teams – has been drawn. While some of the third-round games were postponed owing to the cold weather, we know for sure that Liverpool will visit holders Chelsea in January. See the full list here!.
Quote of the week
“Winning against Barcelona in front of a crowd like that is a great feeling. It was just amazing how the fans cheered us on.” Lea Schüller on Bayern Munich’s 3-1 win over Barcelona at the Allianz Arena, with 24,000 fans in attendance.
Recommended viewing
Lizzie Arnot’s magical finish paved the way for the Rangers’ first Scottish Women’s Premier League Cup triumph. The strike put the Glasgow side ahead against Hibernian, before Kirsty Howat scored in the second half to seal the victory.
• This article was amended on 14 December 2022 to correct a reference to the SheBelieves Cup being played “in Orlando, Nashville and San Francisco”. The latter is not involved; it is Frisco, in Texas, that is hosting.
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