There’s absolutely no doubt that football has a long-standing and well-deserved status as a global sporting phenomenon. Several generations of men, women, and children from all walks of life have drawn inspiration, entertainment, and passion from the sport by either watching or participating in games with their friends and family.
The breakthrough of organized women’s football proved to be a great example of the sport’s inclusive nature; it’s one of the few women’s team sports with professional leagues. Additionally, football is one of the most popular team sports for women in several countries, bolstered by the rising prominence of both national leagues and major international competitions that are just as intense and passionate as those in the men’s division.
Indeed, while the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the UEFA Women’s Champions League are fairly recent additions to the global football landscape (the former had its inaugural tournament in 1991, while the latter started in the 2001 – 02 season), both tournaments are widely regarded as bastions of legitimacy and prestige in the realm of women’s football. The steady and consistent growth of women’s football across the globe has inevitably attracted the attention of numerous reputable companies and organizations that are more than willing to expand and promote their respective brands and advocacies through long-term sponsorship deals.
For instance, let’s look at the women’s football scene in Germany, which happens to be one of the most dominant nations in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The creation of the Frauen-Bundesliga (Women’s Federal League) in 1990 greatly contributed to the explosion of women’s football in the country.
The FC Bayern Munich women’s team, much like its male counterpart, has emerged as one of the top football clubs in the nation. While both teams share a few key sponsors – Bwin.com was FC Bayern Munich’s Official Gaming and Betting Partner; insurance agency Allianz, global sports apparel and footwear brand Adidas, and Deutsche Telekom AG are current official partners – the women’s team does have a few exclusive supporters of its own.
Ingrid Hafner of One Woman Entertainment produced and composed “Mir wern Meister”, the Official Theme Song of the FC Bayern Munich women’s team. Jambo Bukoba (“jambo” is the Swahili word for “hello”) is a sport-and-development initiative that actively supports children and youth in the Tanzanian town of Bukoba by giving them strength and self-confidence in the fight against HIV/AIDS, incomplete school education, and gender inequality.
