Angel City FC from the USA is a club by women for women and is the role model for Berlin. This was founded in 2020 by a group of prominent women. This includes none other than Natalie Portman, as the initiator, but also well-known actresses such as Jennifer Garner, as well as sports stars such as tennis pro Serena Williams and former ski racer Lindsey Vonn.
"We thought, 'Why shouldn't we be the ones leading by example for the changes we want to see? - Eva Longoria, actress and co-owner of Angel City FC
Still, you can't compare American soccer to German soccer in every way. In America, the women enjoy much more turnover than the men, and so it is justified there that the women are paid the same as the men. However, we are still a long way from this situation in Germany.
However, women who play in the regional league, which is similar to the third league in the men's sector, do not get any money at all, but even have to pay for their membership. In the future, the female players from Berlin should at least be provided with contracts so that they are at least insured through the employers' liability insurance association.
"That's a big issue, too. You play sports at a high level, and if something happens to you, you're not even insured for some services," Kurz said.
The plans are bold, but concrete. Because while Angel City FC from Los Angeles has bought a license and can thus directly enter the highest division, the players of Viktoria must first "still" fight their way up from the regional league. "There we are much more regulated in Germany," Kurz says. "And if we had really started from scratch now, we would have had to start in the Kreisklasse." So they looked for a club that was already playing in a higher division, had the necessary structures and was keen on the idea, and took it over.