Germany: DFB & its 23,868 clubs surpass 8 million members (+3.86% in one year)

"For the first time in its 125-year history, the DFB (founded in Leipzig on 28/01/1900) has recorded more than eight million memberships in the almost 24,000 (23,868) clubs organised under its umbrella (in 2024-25). This represents an increase of 3.86% compared to the previous year. The largest percentage increase in memberships was among girls aged 16 and under (9%). German football has gained almost one million new members since 2021," announced the German Football Association on 10/07/2025 when presenting its official statistics for the 2024-25 season.

"German football is getting younger and more female. The positive trend among referees and the qualification programmes offered by the German Football Association and its 21 regional associations is also continuing," said the DFB.

"Encouragingly, the trend that was triggered by the Year of the Referee in 2023 is continuing. For the first time in almost ten years, more than 60,000 referees were active in one season - an increase of 4%. In total, they officiated almost 1.4 million matches in the 2024-25 season, with the proportion of…