Women’s Bundesliga 2 players balance football with work and study

Arminia Bielefeld midfielder Sophia Thiemann says players in Germany’s Women’s Bundesliga 2 face a situation similar to their counterparts at Kaizer Chiefs Ladies, with many combining football with employment or education.

Thiemann was speaking during a joint online round-table discussion with Kaizer Chiefs Ladies, held as part of Women’s Month. She said playing in Germany’s second tier is not a full-time professional occupation for most footballers.

“Well, I think it’s pretty similar to the kind of Chiefs because most of us are working, studying,” said Thiemann when asked by iDiski Times.

“Some of us are still going to school, so we all have jobs and other things to do besides football. So we don’t do football like on a professional level.

“Obviously semi-professional, but we still have to have jobs, and it’s not enough to just play football.”

Her Arminia Bielefeld team-mate Margherita Santamaria said the need to manage football alongside other responsibilities had become a normal part of her life because she had grown up playing the sport. She does not regard the need to combine her career with work or study as something unusual, or dwell on the challenge of doing both.

Women’s Bundesliga 2 is therefore not a fully professional league, despite operating within one of Europe’s leading football countries. Even Germany’s top women’s division is still regarded as semi-professional.

The structure of the German game does, however, provide a strong connection with the men’s professional system. Every club in the top women’s division has a powerful men’s section, while 13 of the 14 clubs have men’s teams competing in the Bundesliga.

The comparison with South Africa comes as women’s football there continues to operate without a professional league. The country’s women’s game is classified as amateur and currently consists of two divisions: the SAFA Provincial Leagues and the Hollywoodbets Super League.

Financial pressure remains one of the biggest obstacles for clubs in South Africa. A lack of funding and sponsorship has left many teams unable to offer their players genuine salaries, meaning footballers often have to find other forms of employment or continue their education alongside training and matches.

SAFA, which administers women’s football in South Africa, introduced a new format for the top division this season. The league was split into two streams, with matches being staged in a festival format.

The changes were designed to help address some of the financial and operational difficulties faced by clubs. While the format represents an attempt to respond to those challenges, the wider issue of sustainable funding remains central to the development of the women’s game.

Thiemann’s comments underline that the need to combine football with other commitments is not limited to South Africa. Players in Germany’s second tier are also required to work or study because football alone does not provide enough financial security, reinforcing the similarities discussed during the Kaizer Chiefs Ladies event.