Bundesliga CEO Donata Hopfen says she will make it the most digital league in the world

Donata Hopfen, the new CEO of the German Football League (DFL), has outlined her vision of making the Bundesliga “the most digital football league in the world”.

She became the first woman to lead the DFL in January when Bundesliga matches were still mostly played behind closed doors due to Germany’s high Covid numbers.

Hopfen says she has been delighted to see large crowds return in recent months, such as when 75,000 people packed Munich’s Allianz Arena last month to see Bayern Munich crowned Bundesliga champions for the 10th consecutive season. .

“When I joined the DFL in January, fans were again barred from Bundesliga stadiums, due to Covid regulations,” she told AFP.

“That was only five months ago, which seems incredible when I think of the scenes we’ve recently witnessed.”

Hopfen described Eintracht Frankfurt’s run to the Europa League final, where they beat Rangers in Sevilla, cheered on by thousands of traveling fans, as the best “advertisement for the Bundesliga”.

She comes from a media background and ran the online version of Germany’s top-selling daily Bild earlier in her career.

Speaking at the recent ‘Sports Innovation 2022’ trade fair in Dusseldorf, Hopfen outlined his future vision for Bundesliga fixtures.

She wants to use fast 5G Wi-Fi networks in stadiums to bring virtual reality features to fans on smartphones and increase the number of camera angles using different techniques.

However, she also reassured fans who want a traditional experience.

“Anyone who just wants to enjoy 90 minutes of football with beer and a bratwurst can do that in the future.”