Women's football didn't have an easy time from the start. The German Football Association (DFB) banned female teams, err... women's teams, from football clubs by decision of July 30, 1955. It applied:

 “In the fight for the ball, feminine grace disappears, the body and soul inevitably suffer damage, and the display of the body violates modesty and decency.”

Ban until 1970

In the fall of 1970, the DFB overturned the club ban for women. Just four years later, the first official German football championship for women took place. Afterwards, Germany's footballers even became internationally successful.

A coffee service for European champions

When it comes to women's football in Germany, one cannot avoid the anecdote of the infamous coffee service from 1989:
the German women's national team won the European Championship for the first time. Classified as amateurs, they were not allowed to receive any cash prizes. From the DFB, which is still dominated by men to this day, the winners only received the coffee service mentioned in legends. The DFB leaders were even stingy. The white porcelain with delicate blue and red flowers was not only embarrassing, but also only the second choice: “1-b-goods”.

For comparison: When the German men became European champions in Italy a few years earlier, they received 25,000 marks per player and an additional voucher for jewels worth 2,500 marks for their wives.

Shards bring luck

The infamous coffee service of yesteryear was symbolically consigned to the trash heap: the then European Championship goalkeeper Marion Isbert, who saved three penalties against Italy in the 1989 semi-final, scored the decisive winning goal herself. As a late revenge, she shot another porcelain service from the roof of the Bonn Women's Museum at the exhibition vernissage. An original service is still on display there.

Even if dishes are no longer given away, they are still a long way from the fame and income of the male football idols, despite their excellent achievements. Germany's footballers have already become world champions twice, won bronze and gold at the Olympic Games and have emerged as European champions eight times, and perhaps they will take home the next title in the final against England on Sunday!

Have fun watching the finale on Sunday!

Source: Geolino , Spiegel , Spox , Westdeutsche Zeitung , Sportschau

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