A Generation Overslept, Dear DFB!
Despite outstanding successes and worldwide recognition, the German Football Association (DFB) faces challenges that are primarily due to a lack of willingness to innovate and lengthy decision-making processes. Today, despite the current, outstanding successes of our U17 national team (congratulations at this point on reaching the World Cup final), I would like to take a critical look at the development of children's football and at the aspects that impair the DFB's adaptability.
Lack of willingness to innovate:
The DFB's willingness to innovate appears limited in some areas. Compared to other leading football associations and clubs, the DFB hesitates too long and too often to adopt innovative methods and approaches. The introduction of the changes to children's football, which have been justified and called for by all experts for 20 to 30 years, will hopefully now come in the new season. This reluctance impairs the German national team's competitiveness regardless of the tournament and match successes of recent years, and it hinders the development of promising talents. Unfortunately, the association's decisions are also unfavorably influenced by abbreviated media coverage. Today, almost every former professional who receives too little public attention gives unqualified and unfounded statements on the subject, which are then populistically staged by click-hungry media!
Lengthy decision-making processes:
Another problem affecting the DFB's dynamism is the lengthy nature of its decision-making processes. Bureaucracy and the complex organizational structure lead to a slowdown in decision-making. This affects not only sporting matters but also organizational and strategic decisions. In a fast-moving sporting world, this inertia in decision-making processes means that the DFB falls behind other associations, but especially far behind its own potential.
Resistance to change (already explained in my post "X-Faktor Trainer 2"):
Another factor impairing the DFB's willingness to innovate is resistance to change. The association's long history and established practices mean that new ideas and approaches are met with skepticism. Traditionalists largely shape the image of our association. This resistance to change prevents and hinders the DFB's ability to successfully integrate fresh, innovative concepts. Moreover, this ossification also carries the risk of "cronyism" and definitely also causes creative minds, real doers, and forward thinkers to turn away from the association. What remains are bench-warmers protecting their vested interests.
The German Football Association's lack of willingness to innovate and its lengthy decision-making processes represent serious challenges that the association must address. In order to continue to be successful on the international stage, but also to make grassroots football attractive and to promote it in a timely manner, it is crucial that the DFB pursues a more dynamic approach to integrating new technologies and, in particular, to speeding up its decision-making processes. Overcoming resistance to change and creating a more agile organizational structure could make a decisive contribution to strengthening the DFB's willingness to innovate and better preparing it for future challenges.
I look forward to taking up another topic in talent development with you next week under my column "So schaut's aus." Until then! Stay healthy, and always a good match!