DEKRA appointed auditor for sustainability criteria in the DFL licensing process

Photo: DFL/Getty Images/Oliver Hardt

6 February 2023 – Expert organisation DEKRA has been appointed the independent external auditor for sustainability criteria in the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga licensing process. The Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 are the first major professional football leagues to include mandatory sustainability criteria in their Licensing Regulations. The criteria will become applicable for the first time in the upcoming licensing process for the 2023–24 season.

DEKRA Assurance Services GmbH has been commissioned to audit the sustainability criteria for the licensing process over the course of the next three seasons. The documentation and evidence to be submitted by the clubs will be evaluated in terms of the extent to which the sustainability guidelines (Annexe XIV of the DFL Licensing Regulations) are implemented. The sustainability guidelines, and minimum criteria defined therein, were approved by the 36 professional clubs at a DFL Members Assembly in May 2022.

The aim is to ensure ongoing development in the area of sustainability, including on the basis of the guidelines and individual club initiatives, from the development and expansion of basic structures to the broadening of effective, measurable activities.

Minimum criteria covering three areas

The 117 minimum criteria set out in the sustainability guidelines cover three different areas: ‘club management and organisation’, ‘environment and resources’ and ‘stakeholder groups’. The clubs will be obliged to provide evidence of, for example, a sustainability and environmental strategy. This will also include annual footprint measurements, as well as a transport and traffic analysis. In addition, all clubs must implement a code of conduct for all employees, clearly distancing themselves from all forms of discrimination and committing to equality, diversity and inclusion.

These guidelines are designed to promote sustainability holistically – regarding environmental, social and economic aspects. The minimum criteria will be evaluated on an ongoing basis and adjusted over time to reflect new trends, developments and findings and to give all clubs the opportunity to develop and expand their structures continuously and future-oriented.

The minimum criteria will therefore be implemented on a step-by-step basis. Fulfilment of minimum criteria I and, optionally, minimum criteria II will be evaluated for the first time by DEKRA as part of the licensing process for the 2023–24 season. This initial audit will yield further valuable information for the clubs and leagues. On this basis and with a view to potentially extending the guidelines, fulfilment of all the minimum criteria will be mandatory in the licensing process for the 2024–25 season. When formulating the initial version of the guidelines, there was full awareness that it was important to establish minimum standards first. In addition, clubs can continue to operate with a focus on their respective strategic priorities.

Measures that have a major impact on structural, personnel and financial planning will still have to be feasible for all clubs in both leagues. This is why the DFL is also aiming to expand its range of central support services so that effective measures can be implemented across the leagues in a way that is simplified and technically sound. A current example of this is the ‘Sustainability Management in Sport and Sports Business’ further education programme, which is aimed at club employees and other stakeholders and was launched by the DFL in partnership with SPONSORs and the Leuphana University of Lüneburg.

As part of the newly founded Sustainability Commission, the Sustainability Manager Plenary and other bodies, the DFL and clubs will continue to collaborate closely to drive forward sustainability in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 together.

Background information:

At a DFL Members Assembly back in December 2021, the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs had already incorporated a clear commitment to sustainability in all its various aspects (ecological, economic and social) in the preamble to DFL e.V.’s statutes. The DFL has since been working together with the clubs and a range of external experts on a variety of core themes relating to sustainability. Read on for some examples of these:

  • Founding of the “Sustainability Commission”

    The DFL’s “Sustainability Commission” is a newly founded advisory body that focuses on addressing the sustainability commitments of German professional football. The “Sustainability Commission”, which assumes an advisory role to the Executive Committee of the DFL, provides a venue for representatives of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs as well as from the DFL Group to discuss issues relating to environmental, economic and social sustainability. There will also be regular meetings of a new Sustainability Manager Plenary, comprising experts from all 36 clubs and the DFL.

  • “Sustainability Management in Sport and Sports Business” further education programme

    The DFL is a partner and co-founder of the “Sustainability Management in Sport and Sports Business” further education programme, which is being run by SPONSORs and the Leuphana University of Lüneburg. The programme is aimed at a range of stakeholders including employees of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs to provide them with academic support to allow them to build on their expertise in the area of sustainability. Alongside their everyday work, participants in the further education programme are taught a wide range of content over three modules, each comprising three days in the classroom and supplemented by an e-learning component, including an introduction to sustainability and environmental strategies and effective implementation methods – and always with a tangible connection to sporting organisations and events. The first cohort started the first module in October 2022. For more information, visit: www.nachhaltigkeit-im-sport.de.

  • #BundesligaWIRKT

    The DFL launched the #BundesligaWIRKT platform to provide a wide-ranging look at the impact of German professional football on society. On a purpose-built website, the DFL provides an overview of projects and activities organised by the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs and the DFL in the areas of exercise and health, education and opportunities, ecology and environmental protection, solidarity and helpfulness as well as diversity and togetherness. On the ‘Clubs’ tab, the website also provides information about not only the organisational form and alignment of the clubs’ societal commitments but also the various people to contact. More information: www.bundesliga-wirkt.dfl.de.

  • Eco-conscious media production for all Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 matches

    Since the start of the 2022-23 season, the DFL – in collaboration with media partner Sky – has been supporting eco-conscious media production for all 612 Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2, play-off and Supercup matches. The greenhouse gas emissions produced during media production are first offset in consultation with international company ClimatePartner. Meanwhile, DFL subsidiary Sportcast, which produces the basic signal for all the matches on behalf of its national and international media partners, analyses the potential for savings and then uses this as a basis for devising a multi-stage plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

  • DFL Sustainability Forum

    In July 2022, the DFL organised the first DFL Sustainability Forum with a theme of “Shaping the future”. Through this event, which will be held annually, the DFL has created a new platform for the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs as well as participants from a variety of fields such as politics, business, society, academia, sport and the media to explore the topic of sustainability. More than 200 guests gathered at the Futurium in Berlin for the inaugural event to share ideas on a wide range of issues relating to sustainability. The DFL Sustainability Forum provided an opportunity to learn about the big decisions that lie ahead, key areas of potential and some of the specific steps being undertaken by the DFL and clubs. The second DFL Sustainability Forum is scheduled for September 2023.

  • Award for Sustainability in Sport

    With the support of the DFL, SPONSORs has launched the Award for Sustainability in Sport. The award recognises the best projects across all types of sport in four categories: “Athlete”, “Club & Association”, “Venue & Event” and “Company”. It was presented for the first time at the SPOBIS sports business event in Düsseldorf in September 2022. More information: www.sport-nachhaltigkeit.de.