DFL sets up “Sustainability Commission”

26 July 2022 – The DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga is setting up a new advisory body that will focus on addressing the sustainability commitments of German professional football. The “Sustainability Commission” will provide a venue for representatives of clubs from the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, as well as the DFL Group, to discuss issues relating to environmental, economic and social sustainability. Donata Hopfen, Speaker of the DFL Executive Committee and DFL CEO, announced the news based on a resolution of the DFL Executive Committee today at the first DFL Sustainability Forum (“DFL Nachhaltigkeitsforum”) in Berlin. There will also be regular meetings of a new Sustainability Assembly, attended by experts from all 36 clubs and the DFL. The previous CSR Assembly will be incorporated into the Sustainability Assembly.

This means that there will be eight commissions advising the Executive Committee of the DFL regarding strategically relevant areas: club media, eFootball, finance, football, internationalisation, academies, sustainability and marketing and sponsorship. The 10-12 members of each commission from the professional clubs will be appointed as a result of DFL General Assemblies, partly by means of appointment by the Executive Committee of the DFL and partly by means of election by the assemblies of all 36 clubs. The members of the commissions will therefore next be appointed after this year’s DFL General Assembly (17 August).

Setting up a commission to deal with sustainability and social responsibility was also one of the recommendations in the summary report of the Future of Professional Football Task Force. As part of their remit, 37 experts from the fields of sport, society, science, politics and business addressed major issues and questions relating to the future of professional football in interdisciplinary discussions.