According to the German Football Association (DFB), investment in women’s football by professional clubs has risen by 135% over the past six years. In addition, the number of girls in Germany who play the game has increased by about 30% since 2022.
Celia Sasic, the former Germany striker who has been in charge of diversity and inclusion at the DFB since 2022, has helped bring women’s football more into the spotlight in the boardroom.
“We’ve focused on the issue and established new structures, so that there is now a separate department with its own sports director,” the 38-year-old told DW.
“In my view, it’s important that there are very clear responsibilities for the development and professionalization of this sport.”
Advertisement
Celia Sasic has been fighting for equality in women’s football for years and wants better structures in the women’s game in GermanyImage: Simon Hofmann/Getty Images
“I believe it’s important that [women’s football] is recognized within the licensed clubs. And it’s becoming increasingly recognized, so the framework conditions need to be adjusted,” continued Sasic.
“And we’re seeing that if we provide the right framework for the game, there’s huge growth potential there.”
Sasic, who was part of the German team that won the 2009 and 2013 European championships, regards this as a foundation to build on.
“This is incredibly significant for us as a society and in terms of our influence abroad,” she said.
Advertisement
“There are women who play football, who play for us on the national team, and who inspire us so much that millions of us watch their games.”
‘My biggest role model was Zinedine Zidane’
Sasic is clearly proud of the recent progress. For a long time, women’s football in Germany was not taken seriously.
“I had no choice; I had to look to men for role models,” Sasic recalled.
“My biggest role model was Zinedine Zidane. I had posters of [Luis] Figo, [David] Beckham, and Michael Ballack hanging in my room.”
Advertisement
Support for the women’s team has exploded in recent years in GermanyImage: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
Posters of women wouldn’t have existed back then, but it’s different now. These days, Germany captain Giulia Gwinn and players like Jule Brand and Lea Schüller smile down from the walls of children’s bedrooms, inspiring girls to dream of a great career in women’s football.
Further investment required to push women’s game forward
Despite the boom, the financial gap between women’s and men’s football remains enormous, as figures from the DFB and the German Soccer League (DFL) show. While the 18 Bundesliga clubs spent €1.72 billion ($1.9 billion) on players and coaching staff alone in the 2024–25 season, the personnel expenses of the 12 Women’s Bundesliga clubs most recently totaled just under €30 million — about 60 times lower.
Salaries also highlight how the professionalization of women’s football is still very much in its infancy. In the 2023-24 season, a women’s Bundesliga player earned an average base salary of around €48,000 per year. Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is estimated to have earned €25 million during the same season.
This disparity is expected to narrow in the future.
Advertisement
“Football reflects our society — and thus also the gender inequality and the gender pay gap that we see in our society,” former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told DW earlier this year.
Baerbock believes change in terms of equal pay lies in the hands of football nationsImage: Eduardo Munoz/REUTERS
“Unfortunately, this gap in football is even wider in many countries than in other professions. But that is by no means set in stone,” added Baerbock, who also served as the president of the United Nations General Assembly from September 2025 to September 2026.
“We know from the USA, the United Kingdom, Norway and Spain that if you really want to invest in women’s football, equal pay is an important part of that — especially when it comes to tournament bonuses.”
Young women need professional support
Celia Sasic currently sees significant progress when it comes to women’s football, although it’s still early days in the development process.
“Clubs must provide all the necessary resources to enable this development. Football pitches, medical care, a fitness facility and a coaching staff must be available,” said Sasic. “Investing in this ultimately makes the game much better, too.”
Advertisement
Bayern Munich offer some of the best training facilities in the country, but the aim is to improve all the facilities in GermanyImage: Jenni Maul/Eibner-Pressefoto/picture alliance
Opportunities for young girls in terms of training also need to improve.
“It’s a crucial step to have youth development centers where players are trained — not only athletically, but also professionally. These are essential factors for the success of the women’s game.”
Education, apprenticeship options must be available
A new DFB rule shows that even basic professional structures still need to be established. Only since the 2025–26 season have teams in the Women’s Bundesliga been required to employ assistant coaches, goalkeeper coaches and athletic coaches on a full-time, professional basis.
Sasic and women’s football still have a long way to go, but the former player is determined to continue fighting for greater equality. The 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil is a great place to start, and Sasic is hoping for a successful showing for Germany at the tournament as this would likely give women’s football another major boost — and bring broadcasters new record viewership ratings.
This article was originally written in German.
Advertisement
Correction, September 18, 2026: An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of Jule Brand. DW apologizes for the error.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Stephon Gilmore wasn’t known for being much of a talker during his 13 NFL seasons.
But one of the most dominant cornerbacks of his era is officially retiring with the team with whom he had the most success during his career.
The 35-year-old Gilmore is returning to New England on Friday to sign a one-day contract and retire as a member of the Patriots, the team he won his lone Super Bowl with to cap the 2018 season.
Gilmore last played in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings and previously announced his retirement in April via an Instagram post.
Advertisement
Selected 10th in the 2012 draft by the Buffalo Bills, Gilmore established himself as one of the league’s premier players in the secondary over the next five seasons.
Gilmore was an instant standout in New England’s secondary after arriving as a free agent from Buffalo in 2017.
He earned the first of two straight AP All-Pro selections in his second season with the Patriots in 2018. He also had the game-clinching interception late in the fourth quarter of New England’s 13-3 Super Bowl win over the Los Angeles Rams to cap that season.
In 2019 he became the first player in Patriots history to be named NFL Defensive Player of the Year, leading the league with a career-high six interceptions, two returned for touchdowns. In addition, he had a career-high 20 pass breakups in both 2018 and 2019.
Advertisement
He was traded to the Carolina Panthers during the 2021 season.
His career includes stints with the Bills (2012-16), Patriots (2017-20), Panthers (2021), Indianapolis Colts (2022), Dallas Cowboys (2023) and Vikings (2024).
The five-time Pro Bowl selection ends his career with 32 interceptions and 149 pass breakouts.
If you’re looking for a way to work on your swing without ever hitting a ball, an impact bag is a worthy option. And now, thanks to a great sale at PGA TOUR Superstore, you can get one for less than $20 — that’s 33 percent off its regular retail price.
The Impact Trainer is composed of heavy-duty material that you can fill with plush items of your choosing after purchase. (Soft cloth and/or towels are recommended.) Once the bag is ready, the object is to take as many swings as you like aiming at the circle target, which will help reinforce proper club, hand, body and arm position at impact. This practice will ultimately lead to more quality shots with real golf balls. The bag also features a stake loop so you can secure it while in use outdoors.
One caveat: The Impact Trainer is designed primarily as an impact-position training aid, so attacking it with the full strength of your swing isn’t recommended. Instead, short-game swings or full swings of 70 percent or so will be sufficient to glean the benefits.
Top 100 Teacher Krista Dunton has long been a fan of an impact bag’s benefits.
Advertisement
“It’s multifunctional,” she said. “It gives you the feeling of the club swinging into the ball, getting the clubhead and the hands in the right position, getting your weight into the lead side, and that smack and pop of the clubhead actually coming into the ball, instead of the club bottoming out way too far behind the ball, or never getting into the ball and topping it.”
You’ll likely notice a difference just by hitting the Impact Trainer a few times a day. And since you aren’t actually hitting any balls, the feedback is always positive.
Take advantage of this great deal on the Impact Trainer while you can by clicking on the link below!
Impact Trainer Reinforces proper club, hard, arm and body position at impact Effectively eliminates the bending of the left wrist and the loss of the forearm, helping you to strike the ball more solidly and decisively. Features a ground stake loop to secure it to the ground so you can stay in one place while practicing Target lines are suitable for both right handed and left handed golfers
Uefa and Concacaf have written to Gianni Infantino calling on Fifa to pay at least $10m (£7.5m) from its cash reserves to each of the 211 member associations.
It is the latest chapter in the war of words between the governing bodies, in response to Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s aborted private equity proposal.
Advertisement
Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) would have meant a new company being created to manage commercial and ticketing rights of all competitions, including World Cups, with 21% sold off to an investment company.
Advertisement
The idea was scrapped after four days following widespread opposition from national associations.
The letter, seen by BBC Sport, was signed by Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and his Concacaf counterpart Victor Montagliani.
It outlines that “Fifa is on course to close 2023-26 with reserves of approximately $6bn (£4.5bn)” which is “considerably more than is required” through to the 2030 men’s World Cup.
Advertisement
Advertisement
It said that Fifa should “make at least $10m available to each of its 211 member associations over the 2027-30 cycle” which should be used “for investment in infrastructure and football development”.
This “one-off release of reserves” would come at a cost of $2.11bn (£1.57bn), and would be in addition to the regular funding in the cycle.
When the controversial plan was revealed in the days following the World Cup final, Infantino told members they would receive $40m (£30m) if they backed it.
Infantino set a deadline of 19 September for federations to accept his plans if they want to access an initial $20m (£15m).
Advertisement
Advertisement
In the letter, Ceferin and Montagliani said analysis carried out on Fifa’s published financial statements and budgets raised doubts that the FFE proposal was “necessary to deliver greater resources”.
It added that the analysis was “deliberately conservative” and a larger distribution from the reserves should be considered by the Fifa Council once the financial position at year-end is known.
An “independent review” of Fifa’s finances should be commissioned, it added, with “full access to the underlying figures and assumptions”.
Advertisement
“Fifa currently holds billions of dollars in accumulated reserves,” it read. “These resources belong to football and exist to serve the game and its 211 member associations.
Advertisement
“Prudence should not prevent a careful examination of whether a portion could responsibly be released to the extent those reserves exceed Fifa’s foreseeable needs.
“Releasing part of these reserves would demonstrate that member associations should not have to choose between development and good governance; between investment and integrity; or between financial support and the ability to consider proposals on their merits.
Advertisement
“Development is an institutional responsibility of Fifa – not a matter of individual discretion.”
Another letter, also seen by BBC Sport, has been sent to the presidents of the other confederations – Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania – asking them to support the motion.
Hewitt, a Fifa vice-president, said that the Fifa Council should also receive a written explanation for the cancelled suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup.
Infantino was told he should make all documents available before the next Fifa Council meeting, which is on 15 October.
Teddy Atlas has highlighted a key advantage of David Benavidez, which Jai Opetaia must attempt to nullify if they end up colliding next year.
The two cruiserweights have verbally agreed to lock horns in 2027, with Benavidez acknowledging the Australian as a worthy opponent for Cinco de Mayo weekend.
Before targeting their potential showdown in May, though, ‘The Mexican Monster’ is expected to face WBC champion Michal Cieslak on December 12.
By scoring a sixth-round finish, the Mexican-American not only became a three-division world champion but also demonstrated his speed and power at 200lbs.
Top trainer Atlas has therefore suggested on his YouTube channel that these attributes, combined with his punches in bunches, could see the 29-year-old defeat Opetaia.
Advertisement
“He’s got the quicker hands – I think that’s one advantage. But he’s got power, too – just like Opetaia. And he’s a warrior – just like Opetaia. They’re both undefeated; they’re both champions.
“[Benavidez is] a guy, though, that throws with speed and power and punches in clusters. And that can be a problem.
“You can time it … but that might give [Benavidez] an edge. Opetaia might have to hurt him to slow him down and win the fight [on points]. It’s hard to visualise Opetaia outworking him when it comes to volume.”
Indeed, Opetaia is unlikely to match Benavidez’ tremendous punch output but, as the naturally bigger man, he may find success in other areas of their hoped-for contest.
The Unity Torch for the 2026 Akwa Ibom State Sports Festival has reached nine Local Government Areas, with 22 more expected to receive the symbolic torch as the statewide tour continues.
The four-day relay began on Wednesday, September 16, following the lighting of the Torch of Unity by Governor Umo Bassey Eno last Thursday ahead of the sports festival.
The tour is being organised by the Interministerial Committee in collaboration with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the festival and is scheduled to cover all 31 Local Government Areas by Saturday, September 19.
Advertisement
The nine LGAs visited so far are Uruan, Nsit Atai, Ibesikpo Asutan, Nsit Ibom, Essien Udim, Obot Akara, Ikot Ekpene, Ikono and Ini.
The Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, is represented on the tour by two teams of athletes and officials led by directors from the Ministry of Sports.
Speaking on behalf of the Commissioner, Director of Administration in the Ministry of Sports, Mrs Ntimkpo Udoaka, and Director of ICT, Mr Daniel Elijah Usip, said the Torch Handover was part of the state government’s plan to promote grassroots sports and youth empowerment.
Advertisement
They also thanked the Local Government chairmen for supporting the exercise and receiving the delegation in their respective areas.
The visits have been marked by receptions from council officials, with several chairmen confirming their readiness to take part in the second edition of the state sports festival.
At Ibesikpo Asutan, council chairman Rt. Hon. Evangelist Edidiong Inyang said the festival would provide another opportunity to identify young sporting talents.
He recalled that talents were discovered during the first edition and expressed hope that more athletes would emerge from the 2026 festival.
Advertisement
In Uruan, council chairman Rt. Hon. Surv. Iniobong Ekpenyong received the delegation and pledged the council’s support for sports development, unity and healthy competition among young people.
The Torch also received warm receptions in Nsit Ibom, Essien Udim, Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara, Ikono and Ini, where council officials confirmed their participation in the festival.
In Ini, council chairman Hon. Inibehe Umah said the Local Government would participate in the games and expressed the ambition to compete for victory.
The relay now moves to more LGAs as the state counts down to the opening of the festival on Tuesday, September 22.
Advertisement
On Thursday, September 17, the Torch is scheduled to visit Nsit Ubium, Etinan, Eket, Esit Eket, Ibeno, Abak, Etim Ekpo, Oruk Anam, Ukanafun and Ika.
The remaining LGAs will be covered before the Unity Torch tour ends on Saturday, September 19.
With nine of 31 LGAs already covered, the exercise has entered its next phase as Akwa Ibom prepares for the 2026 State Sports Festival.
Former Akwa United player and Flying Eagles star Aniekeme Asuquo has joined Iraqi club Al-Kadhimiya SC, taking his career to a new chapter outside Nigeria.
Asuquo is a versatile midfielder who can also operate from the flanks, giving his new club an additional attacking option.
The Nigerian was part of the Flying Eagles squad at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland, where he was listed as a midfielder for Nigeria.
Advertisement
He started his professional career with Akwa United, joining the club from Akwa Starlet in 2018. He was part of the Akwa United team that competed in the CAF Confederation Cup and scored the decisive goal against Al-Ittihad of Libya in Uyo in March 2018.
Asuquo later continued his career with other Nigerian clubs and was a key player in Finidi George tutored in Rivers United team that reached the CAF Champions League group stage. His move to Al-Kadhimiya now gives him an opportunity to continue his football career in Iraq.
The transfer also marks another overseas chapter for the former Nigeria U-20 international, who will be looking to make his mark with his new club.
The Los Angeles Rams‘ trip to Australia in Week 1 was such a nightmare that Sean McVay never wants to go back.
The Rams created a bold travel plan for the game, and it totally backfired. McVay’s team arrived in Melbourne just one day before the game, which didn’t give the players enough time to adjust to the 17-hour time difference and it showed. The Rams got run off the field in a 27-7 loss to the 49ers.
During a press conference on Thursday, McVay was asked how his team has processed the Week 1 loss. He would prefer forget the Australia game ever happened.
“I want to see us be present right now and move forward,” McVay said. “That game is so far. … It’s almost like you try to do the ‘Men in Black’ thing where you say, ‘Hey, I don’t remember what happened. That was so long ago.’”
Advertisement
The “Men in Black” thing McVay is referring to is the Neuralyzer that the agents use to wipe your mind. Not only does McVay want his mind wiped of all memories of the game, but he also doesn’t want to make any new memories in Australia because he never wants to play there again.
“We’re not playing in Australia ever again, I hope,” McVay said. “Not because it wasn’t a great atmosphere, that’ll get taken out of context.”
To be fair, there’s not much to take out of context here: McVay simply doesn’t want to play in Australia ever again, and by publicly stating that fact, he’s probably hoping the NFL will take that into account when creating future schedules.
Why the league might not be happy with McVay’s comments
The problem with McVay’s wish is that the Rams hold the international marketing rights in Australia, so the NFL could certainly send them Down Under again in the future.
Advertisement
The good news for the Rams is that there are three other teams that hold marketing rights in Australia — the Eagles, Seahawks and Raiders — so the NFL might look to send one of those teams for the next game that’s sent Down Under (and there will definitely be another game).
It’s not clear yet if the Australia game will be an annual thing, but the NFL has already said there will be future games. The NFL commissioner made that clear during an interview back in April.
“There’s no question that we’re going to be playing here again,” Roger Goodell said of playing Australia. “Our view is that we’re coming here for the long term. We don’t come as a one-off. This isn’t a circus. This is something that’s an investment in this market, and we believe that this is long-term and will be great for the NFL long-term.”
The NFL originally agreed to a multi-year partnership with Melbourne, so that’s likely where any future games would be played. However, the league did consider both Sydney and Perth for hosting before settling on Melbourne, so it’s possible the NFL could switch locations at some point, but it would still be in Australia.
Advertisement
With the league planning future games in Australia, the NFL likely wasn’t thrilled to hear McVay say that he never wants to play there again. Maybe the NFL should give the Rams another crack at a game Down Under just so they can try a different travel plan.
Either way, McVay and the Rams will officially be looking to put Australia behind them this week. Los Angeles will look to rebound from its Week 1 loss with a home win over the New York Giants on Monday night.
In the closing months of this year, Rory McIlroy is trying to make DP World Tour history. His longtime on-course nemesis Patrick Reed is aiming to rain on Rory’s parade.
And if Reed is successful, he will make some history of his own.
The DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai, formerly known as the Order of Merit, is a season-long points ranking much like the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour. McIlroy has captured seven of those titles in his career so far.
That is one short of the all-time record of eight held by Colin Montgomerie.
Advertisement
McIlroy has been on a tear in recent years, capturing the Race to Dubai title four seasons in a row. But as he makes his first attempt to equal Montgomerie’s all-time record this year, he has a major problem with only a few events left: Reed is ahead of him in the standings.
And while Reed is primarily an American-based pro, he has plenty of reasons to covet one of Europe’s highest golfing honors.
Patrick Reed could become 2nd American to win Race to Dubai
Before joining LIV Golf, Reed was a mainstay on the PGA Tour. Despite that, Reed regularly traveled abroad to play on the DP World Tour, earning an honorary life membership in 2019.
In February of this year, Reed announced he was leaving LIV. Facing a suspension on the PGA Tour, Reed turned his talents to the DP World Tour full-time. One hope for Reed was to finish in the top 10 in the Race to Dubai standings, which would earn him a PGA Tour card for 2027.
Strong finishes at the Masters (T12) and the PGA Championship (T10) added to Reed’s points haul. Now with the season winding down, Reed is in first place in the Race to Dubai.
Should he win, it would be only the second time an American has captured the title, following Collin Morikawa’s victory in 2022.
After a strong opening-round 68 at this week’s BMW PGA Championship, Reed confirmed just how much a Race to Dubai title would mean to him.
Advertisement
“It would mean a lot,” Reed said on Thursday. “I’ve always prided myself as being an American that consistently comes over and shows support to this tour. But to also be able to go ahead, Race to Dubai, a win would mean a lot.”
While he admitted that the season-long race is on his mind at Wentworth this week, he said he’s focused on taking it one day at a time.
“It’s definitely in the back of my mind, but at the end of the day just go out there and take care of business each and every day,” Reed said. “And hopefully we play late enough on Sundays coming in that we’re able to kind of cap that off at the end.”
McIlroy on trailing Race to Dubai: ‘It doesn’t matter who’s up there’
McIlroy spoke to his chance at history during his pre-tournament BMW PGA press conference on Tuesday.
Advertisement
“Obviously I’m in a very fortunate position, I guess, to be going for an eighth Race to Dubai,” McIlroy said. “I can’t believe I’m sitting here with seven. So, yeah, I’d love to give myself a chance again.”
He continued: “I’m certainly motivated to play well for the rest of the year. Still working on some things in my swing, so just trying to have a balance between still keeping an eye on that but trying to play my best golf and give myself some chances to win.”
McIlroy also noted to reporters that he’s aware Reed extended his points lead at last week’s Irish Open, where Reed finished T2 to McIlroy’s T41. But he also said that being in second is motivation to play well in and of itself, no matter who the player in front of him is.
“It doesn’t matter who’s up there. I think being second right now and being a little ways off first, that’s motivation enough to try to finish the year off well,” McIlroy said.
Advertisement
As for competing against McIlroy, Reed had only good things to say on Thursday, despite the two players’ history of animosity at the Ryder Cup and beyond.
“Any time I get to go play against Rory, it’s always fun because that means you get to play some amazing golf. With his record and just kind of his resume that he has, he’s a champion,” Reed said of McIlroy. “He’s been a champion a ton of times and he’s one of those guys that if you go up against the best, you’re going to have to take him and Scottie on. To have the opportunity to take him on throughout the whole rest of the year is going to be fun and looking forward to it.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login