Germany players commit some of their Women’s World Cup bonuses to grassroots programs

By: Clay Witt, The Associated Press Posted: 3:07 AM CDT Monday, Jul. 24, 2023

SYDNEY (AP) — Money has been a big talking point at this Women’s World Cup, from the lack of federation support for some teams and players, to the smaller prize pool FIFA is offering compared with the men’s World Cup in 2022, to the players not being paid their World Cup bonuses directly.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/07/2023 (1167 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ahead of its opening match Monday versus Morocco in Melbourne, two-time World Cup champion Germany tried to spread some good news about finances in the women’s game.

The national team players announced they will donate a percentage of their World Cup bonuses to grassroots girls soccer organizations in Germany.

From left, players Melanie Leupholz, Sarai Linder, Lena Lattwein, Svenja Hut, Laura Freigang, Sara Doorsoun, Carolin Simon, Sophia Kleinherne, Chantal Hagel and Felicitas Rauch warm up during training session of the German women's national soccer team in Herzogenaurach, Germany, Monday, June 3, 2023. The women's soccer world championships take place in Australia and New Zealand from July 20, 2023 until August 20, 2023. (Daniel Loeb/dpa/dpa via AP)

“It was important for us that if we donate to these projects, that the money actually reaches the grassroots; that was our key aspect,” midfielder Svenja Huth said.

The Germany players are partnering with Common Goal to contribute to inclusive girls’ and non-binary soccer programs.

“One of the hallmarks of our team (is) that we are aware of social shortages,” Huth said. “We want gender equality for everybody.”

They will donate 1% of their World Cup bonuses to Futbalo Girls and Girl Power, as they try to help boost their country’s investment in opportunities for girls of all cultural and social backgrounds.

If the Germans win the title, the donation would be $62,100 — as each of the 23 players would receive $270,000 in prize money. At a minimum, they will donate $6,900, or 1% of the $30,000 they each will get for playing in the group stage.

Germany is No. 2 in the world rankings behind the United States and has been a perennial power on the pitch.

Women’s soccer is gaining ground in Germany. Average attendance for Germany’s top women’s league, Bundesliga Frauen, has grown by 190% in the last five years according to Euromonitor, from less than 900 in 2017 to almost 2,500 in 2022.

Twenty players on the World Cup roster play in the Bundesliga Frauen.

The announcement came against the backdrop of FIFA President Gianni Infantino saying that he couldn’t guarantee players’ World Cup bonuses would go directly to the players, because the funds had to go to national federations to be paid out to individuals.

The German players now have something more to play for at the Women’s World Cup, with every round the team advances leading to more money for the cause back home.

“Bringing young girls into the game,” goalkeeper Merle Frohms said of the team’s goals. “Recognizing talent, and supporting that talent, so you can support them from very early on.”

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Clay Witt is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

___ AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports