Young referees conquer the DFB Cup: A day in Cologne!

Young referees conquer the DFB Cup: A day in Cologne!

On May 1, 2025, a special event for young referees took place as part of the DFB fan festival in Cologne. Savina Duderstadt, a representative of the Saxon Football Association (SFV), was on site with Christine Weigelt, who accompanied her as a mentor. The two women had the opportunity to support prospective referees in various football tournaments and to deepen their skills under the guidance of experienced referees in the women's Bundesliga. The main focus was primarily on the C-Junior tournaments that offered practical learning experiences in game management, communication and occurrence.

The event not only offered valuable knowledge, but also insights into the career paths of the mentors. A highlight of the day was the visit to the DFB Cup final of the women in the RheinEnergieStadion, where FC Bayern Munich competed against SV Werder Bremen as leader of the women's Bundesliga. The meeting of the two teams ended with a 4-2 win for Bavaria.

The influence of experienced referees

As part of the event, Savina Duderstadt had the opportunity to speak to Fabienne Michel, a FIFA referee. Michel shared her experiences and motivated the participants to accept new challenges in the referee. The exchange among the referees underlined the importance and passion on which this profession is based in modern football.

"Thank you very much, Christine Weigelt, the Saxon Football Association, the DFB and everyone involved for organizing this valuable event," said Duderstadt after the event. The findings from this experience motivate the young referees to continue to pursue their way and expand their skills.

innovations in the women's Bundesliga for the 2024/2025

In another context, the DFB referee committee has defined the division of the referees for the 2024/2025 season in the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga and 2nd women's Bundesliga. In the future, the referee squad will consist of 17 people in the highest division. A remarkable change is the rise of Selina Menzel from the 2nd league to the women's Bundesliga, while Christine Weigelt, ends her referee career after 20 years of active career.

In addition, Ines Appelmann voluntarily eliminates, while five new referees from the B-Junior Bundesliga rise to the 2nd women's Bundesliga. The squad of the 2nd women's Bundesliga now comprises 21 referees. A significant innovation in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga is the exclusive use of specialized assistants, which increased the squad from 14 to 27, including four male assistants.

Christine Baitinger, sporting director of the referees, emphasizes that this specialization of the assistants will contribute to a higher professionalism in the referee. These structural changes help to further increase the level of women's football in Germany and to develop the potential of the referees.