News article
DFL and DFB back sustainability in sport programme
The Deutsche Football Liga (DFL) and the German Football Association (DFB) have supported a further education programme around sustainability, which will be delivered through Leuphana University Lüneburg.
At Leuphana’s Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM), professionals and students will have the opportunity to gain knowledge to shape amateur and professional sport in a responsible manner.
The DFL, which operates the first and second tier of men’s professional football in Germany, acted as a co-initiator of the co-educational programme back in 2022.
Operating part-time, the online programme lasts six months and includes a two-day classroom-based event, while the respective modules can also be attended individually. Participants will learn the basics of sustainability management, sustainability communication and discuss topics such as mobility, energy, supply chains and circular economy.
Additionally, the programme will highlight social issues around health and inclusion.
While the DFL will offer the programme to clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, the DFB will pass the opportunity onto teams in the third division and the Women’s Bundesliga.
“Sustainability is an important topic for the future, including for professional sport."
“Sustainability is an important topic for the future, including for professional sport. With our commitment and the integration of sustainability into the licensing of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, we are pioneers,” said Marika Bernhard, Head of Sustainability at the DFL.
“Nevertheless, there is still a lot to do: to increase the overall impact, it is essential to enable the people involved in the associations and clubs to expand their expertise in the area of sustainability. That’s why we support the further education programme run by Leuphana.”
Stefanie Schulte, Head of Sustainability at the DFB, added: “The clubs in the third division and Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga have also committed to introducing ambitious sustainability criteria; this season in a voluntary test phase, planned to be mandatory from the new season. This qualification programme is an important building block for us in supporting our clubs.”
The programme is led by Leuphana’s sustainability expert Professor Dr Stefan Schaltegger, and a new intake will begin next month. Applications can be submitted to the university until then.
Image: M ACCELERATOR on Unsplash