At the start of the World Cup year, the DFB presented a new sponsor for the German women’s national soccer team. It is the Wuppertal company Vorwerk, which is known for its vacuum cleaners and the Thermomix food processor. Vorwerk will be the new exclusive partner and will “visibly activate and communicatively accompany the European runners-up,” according to the association’s statement.
The fact that the DFB women should advertise household appliances, of all things, provoked questions at the press conference. A journalist wanted to know whether this was not a cliché. National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg certainly expected such questions and answered calmly. She doesn’t see the whole thing “at all as a cliché number,” said Voss-Tecklenburg.
Vorwerk is not just any medium-sized company, but a global corporation with over 11,000 employees. Voss-Tecklenburg therefore referred to fundamentals beyond outdated clichés and role models. It’s “really great that we now have sponsors who identify with the women’s national team and want to develop and support them”. That goes far beyond sponsorship, explained Voss-Tecklenburg. Vorwerk is a global brand and it should also be considered “that such partners may provide training positions for our young national team players or for our young talents in general”.
Nevertheless, Voss-Tecklenburg reported that the team joked about the new sponsor. “Just for fun, we said: We women look forward to high-tech devices because men don’t often help us around the house. So we’ve fulfilled all the clichés.”
The starting signal for the new partnership is the friendly in Duisburg on Tuesday evening against Sweden, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also be a guest. The new sponsor and the high-ranking visitor from Berlin underline that the vice European champions have achieved a higher status. It’s not the worst of conditions for the start of the World Cup year. The tournament in Australia and New Zealand begins on July 20th and the German women want to reach for the title Down Under after their furious comeback at the European Championships.
With material from DPA
