Ever since entering the football scene in 2020, way down in the 7th division of German football, the Borussia Dortmund Frauen have slowly but steadily risen through the ranks, winning the 6th, 5th, and 4th divisions in succession, routinely tearing through their opponents like buzzsaws. While they’ve still got a long way to go to join their male counterparts in the top flight, it’s remarkable how much progress they’ve made in such a short period of time, especially for a homegrown club whose players
were almost all recruited from within the local area.
The BVB Frauen faced the biggest challenge in their history today, in their first ever match against Bayern Munich, in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. Bayern, unlike their counterparts from Dortmund, have had a women’s team since 1970, and consistently compete for the Frauen-Bundesliga, having won it each of the last three seasons, making an upset a monumental undertaking.
Despite the gulf in quality between the two sides, Dortmund more than held their own. While Bayern jumped out to a 2-0 first-half lead thanks to a brace by Pernille Harder, they kept the game close and did create a rare chance here and there. Jasmin Jebbes forced a strong save from Bayern keeper Ena Mahmutovic on a corner early in the second half, and BVB almost forced a Bayern own-goal were it not for a last-ditch clearance off the line by Katharina Naschenweng.
The full match was broadcast on BVB’s YouTube channel, and is available to watch here:
The match also took place in front of a sellout home crowd at the Stadion Rote Erde, setting a record for the most-attended BVB Frauen match since their debut. Jobe Bellingham was in attendance too, showing support on behalf of the men’s team.
While the ladies’ defeat shows that there is still much work to be done, it seems like an important milestone for a project that is still very much in its infancy. If they continue on this trajectory, the day will come when the BVB women can truly compete with the other German giants.
