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First female footballers added to Germany's Hall of Fame

October 12, 2019

The first female footballers have been inducted into the Hall of Fame of German football. Among the 11 female players honored in Dortmund were Silvia Neid, Steffi Jones and current coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg.

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Deutschland Frauenfussball Hall of Fame | Fritz Keller und Bettina Wiegmann
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Kirchner

Hall of Fame recognition has been granted for the women who have helped shape the sport in Germany.

Silvia Neid, Silke Rottenberg, Steffi Jones, Nia Künzer, Renate Lingor, Bettina Wiegmann, Inka Grings and coach Tina Theune were present at the awards in Dortmund, collecting their prize from new DFB President Fritz Keller.

A 28-member jury of sports journalists had chosen the founding member of the history of German women's football. Footballers of German origin, whose career has ended at least five years ago, were eligible.

Heidi Mohr painfully missed

The also honored record national player Birgit Prinz, second honorary leader next to Wiegmann, the current national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg and Doris Fitschen, who is currently battling cancer, who could all not attend the ceremony in person.

Former striker Heidi Mohr died in February following a serious illness at the age of just 51. Europe's footballer of the century is also painfully missed by her longtime companions. "At first I remember Heidi's warmth and humor, but of course she was without a fuss," Theune said.

Deutschland Heidi Mohr 1989
Heidi Mohr scored 83 goals in 104 games for Germany, before her untimely death in February 2019.Image: imago/O. Hardt

As an advocate of women's football, Keller underlined his commitment to its growth: "Anyone who does not watch and is not involved in women's football, I say: This is a mistake," said the former club president of Freiburg.

The DFB lifted its ban on women's football in 1970 and Germany were crowned European champions in their own country 30 years later, a moment that proved a breakthrough and made Voss-Tecklenburg, Enid, Fitschen and Mohr, who all played in the final, pioneers of the women's game in Germany.

Hall of Fame Newcomers will be decided on a yearly basis, with Helmut Schön, Oliver Kahn, Hans-Jürgen Dörner, Wolfgang Overath and Jürgen Klinsmann also inducted.

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