BBC ALBA is to broadcast live games from the German women’s Bundesliga, in an exclusive deal which will see it follow the newly resumed German women’s season to the conclusion of its 19/20 season.
It will be the first live sport broadcast by a UK free-to-air channel since lockdown. BBC ALBA audiences will see action between high profile clubs such as Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.
The move builds on the channel’s position as home of Scottish women’s sport. Scottish women’s football has seen several high-profile players at German clubs, including Lisa Evans, now at Arsenal, but who also played for both Turbine Potsdam and FC Bayern Munich after Glasgow City FC. Scottish international Sophie Howard, now at Reading, also played for 1899 Hoffenheim. COVID-19 disrupted the channel’s planned coverage of the high-profile German club, Wolfsburg’s ties against Glasgow City in their UEFA Women’s Champions League fixtures earlier in the year.
BBC ALBA’s championing of women’s sport has seen it cover the FIFA Women’s World Cup, UEFA Women’s Champions League, the Scottish national team’s UEFA Women’s EURO qualifiers as well as being the broadcast partner for coverage of the Scottish Women’s Football’s domestic league, the SWPL.
MG ALBA’s Director of Multiplatform Content and BBC ALBA’s executive on sport, Iseabail Mactaggart, said ”We’re delighted to bring coverage of one of the strongest women’s leagues in Europe to BBC ALBA audiences – in doing so, we not only showcase excellence in women’s sport, we bring Gaelic to audiences that would otherwise not experience it as a lively, living language. We’re huge supporters of the growth of Scottish women’s football and in showcasing the FlyerAlarm Frauen-Bundesliga we’re providing high quality, live sports coverage at a time we know audiences need it, and demonstrating what is possible in women’s football.”
The games are:
Saturday 30 May – FC Bayern München v TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, 1200 KO
Friday 5 June – TSG 1899 Hoffenheim v Bayer 04 Leverkusen, 1815 KO
Sat 13 June – SGS Essen v VfL Wolfsburg 1200, KO
Sun 14 June – FC Bayern München v FF USV Jena 1300, KO
Wed 17 June – VfL Wolfsburg v SC Freiburg 1300, KO
With further games possibly added depending on outcomes as the season nears its conclusion.
