Legacy
As part of the UEFA Women's EURO 2025, the City of Bern, together with the Canton of Bern and the Bern/Jura Regional Football Association (FVBJ), is implementing comprehensive legacy projects that are designed to both promote women's football and create sustainable sporting opportunities for the public. These projects range from infrastructural improvements to targeted programmes for young female athletes and women interested in sport.
Source: FVBJ
Source: Andrea Stucki
Source: FVBJ
New training pitches and pitch renovation
An important part of the legacy program is the creation of two new standard-sized training pitches at Grosse Allmend, which will be permanently available for amateur sports after the tournament. In addition, the grass pitch in the Neufeld stadium will be renovated. This upgrade will enable the pitch to be utilised to a greater extent and offer local clubs and amateur athletes an improved playing surface.
BSC YB, the canton of Bern and the municipalities of Ostermundigen and Bolligen, with the involvement of the city of Bern, have developed the idea of a regional football campus in Rörswil. They informed the media and public about this project at the end of April 2024.
The regional football campus in Rörswil will include a football stadium with a capacity of 2,000 for the women's team and the oldest youth teams of BSC YB. In addition, eight training pitches - natural and artificial turf - are to be built. These will be available for competitive and school sports during the day and for amateur and youth sports in the evenings.
Small infrastructure measures on city of Bern football pitches in favour of girls' and women's football
As part of a survey, the Sports Office of the City of Bern asked the city's football clubs what improvements they would like to see in the infrastructure of the city's football pitches, especially for girls' and women's football. The suggestions received are currently being analysed in order to implement smaller infrastructural measures to make the sports more accessible and attractive for women and girls.
Expansion of KIDS courses and voluntary school sports
The Sports Office of the City of Bern already offers special futsal courses for girls as part of the KIDS courses to arouse enthusiasm for football among young girls. In collaboration with Familie Quartier Stadt Bern (FQSB), a survey among girls and young women, particularly those with a migration background, is being conducted to better understand their needs in sports and to address them in a targeted manner. Based on the results, the KIDS courses will be expanded to include other sports for girls and young women in addition to football from the 2025/2026 school year onwards.
The project Doppelpass of the Swiss Football Association (SFA) is to be implemented in voluntary school sports, so that from the 2025/2026 school year onwards, schools will be able to offer activities for girls only in collaboration with the city of Bern’s football clubs as part of their voluntary school sports.
Trial morning for girls
Another project being planned is a trial morning where girls can get a taste of different types of sport. Sports clubs in the city of Bern will offer trial sessions so that the participants can get to know different types of sport in an uncomplicated way and, if they are interested, join the clubs directly.
Sports heroines project by IdéeSport
IdéeSport is organising a «Sports Heroines» month in March 2025, during which female athletes in various sports will be presented as part of the four OpenSundays and three MidnightSports in the city of Bern. These role models are intended to inspire and motivate girls to take part in sports, while also helping to break down stereotypical role models in sport. The project is complemented by a sticker booklet with portraits of female athletes, which is intended to encourage girls to pursue sporting activities with confidence.
Book and podcast project «Das Recht zu kicken»
To support the historical and cultural documentation of women's football, the City of Bern is sponsoring the book and podcast project «Das Recht zu kicken» (in English: The right to kick) by Marianne Meier and Monika Hofmann, which is dedicated to the development of women's football.
Other projects of the Bern/Jura Football Association (FVBJ)
The FVBJ is involved in a variety of projects that particularly highlight and promote the role of women in football. These include awareness-raising videos, workshops to promote girls and women in clubs, a club management course for female officials, networking events for women in football, the introduction of a women's pathway for referees, over-30s tournaments and training for female goalkeepers. At the same time, the «empowHER» trial is running to multiply the number of female coaches in football together with the FOSPO's 7x1 innovation lab.
These diverse projects are designed to promote enthusiasm for women's football and women in football and to strengthen gender equality in sport in the long term. The City of Bern is co-financing these projects and using the momentum of the Women's EURO 2025 to create a sustainable, sport-loving community and consolidate women's football in the region.
The key players in the region are:
- The Bern/Jura Regional Football Association
- The Swiss Football Association
- The Sports Office of the City of Bern
- The Sports Office of the Canton of Bern
- The Host City Thun
More information on the projects can be found on the FVBJ website.