Football was my first Love

What Football was my first Love does

Football was my first Love (FWMFL) is a DACH-focused consumer audio platform that aggregates football-related podcasts and audiobooks into curated playlists organized by club and topic. The platform's primary content verticals are groundhopping (visiting football stadiums), fan culture, and club history, with 9 Bundesliga clubs featured (including Borussia Dortmund, FC Bayern München, and Hamburger SV) and a flagship podcast catalog that includes DWIDSWOCH, Jojo und der Profcast, Groundhopppaar, Hopperhasen, and Alles außer Schickimicki, several of which exceed 200 episodes. The company serves two customer segments: individual football enthusiasts seeking centralized access to fan-created audio content, and independent football podcasters seeking distribution reach via RSS-feed submission.

The core product is a mobile-first audio streaming application available on iOS and Android, backed by a website for content discovery. The technology stack is conventional: mobile apps, Firebase for performance and error monitoring, Smartlook for anonymized usage analytics, Stripe for payment processing (with SEPA direct debit and credit card support), and WhatsApp as a community contact channel. No proprietary AI/ML features, patents, or technology differentiators are disclosed; the platform's defensibility rests on content curation and community positioning rather than technical moat.

The business model is freemium with a paid 'Supporter' subscription tier granting access to exclusive podcasts and audiobooks, though pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on word-of-mouth among football fans, organic social media presence across Facebook/Instagram/Twitter, and grassroots podcast submissions from creators. The company is owned and operated by Olympia-Verlag GmbH, a Nürnberg-based private German publishing company managed by Bärbel Schnell (Geschäftsführerin). No external venture funding, acquisitions, or ownership changes are disclosed.

Name

Football was my first Love

Legal name

Olympia Verlag GmbH

Website

https://footballwasmyfirstlove.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Football was my first Love is a DACH-region mobile audio platform, operated by Olympia-Verlag GmbH, that aggregates football podcasts and audiobooks into curated club- and topic-based playlists for German-speaking fan enthusiasts and independent football podcasters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Audio / Podcast Streaming

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Digital Audio Broadcasts (Live Radio, Play-by-Play, Podcasts) (MPAKAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Podcast Hosting & Enterprise Solutions (Private/Branded Podcasts) (MPACADAF), Audiobook & Spoken-Word Streaming Platforms (MPAIADAE), Creator/Artist Direct-to-Fan Streaming & Membership (MPAIACAF)

Keywords

• Football podcast platform
• Sports audio streaming
• Podcast aggregation service
• Football audiobooks
• Fan media platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Nürnberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Supporter Subscription: Paid subscription model where users can become 'Supporter' members to access exclusive podcasts and audiobooks. The platform offers both free content (available to all users upon registration) and premium content (exclusive to paid Supporters). Subscriptions are processed via Stripe with SEPA direct debit and credit card options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Football was my first Love operates a mobile-first audio streaming platform (iOS and Android apps) that aggregates football-related podcasts and audiobooks into curated playlists organized by clubs (e.g., Borussia Dortmund, FC Bayern München, Hamburger SV) and topics such as groundhopping and fan culture. The platform offers both free content accessible upon registration and exclusive content gated behind a paid Supporter subscription, with third-party podcasters able to submit their RSS feeds for distribution to a community of German-speaking football fans.

Product overview

Football was my first Love is an audio platform operated by Olympia-Verlag GmbH that aggregates football podcasts and audiobooks into a mobile app experience. The core product is the mobile application (iOS/Android), which provides access to a network of football-related podcasts organized by clubs and topics. Key branded shows include DWIDSWOCH (Der Weg ist das Spiel), Jojo und der Profcast, Groundhopppaar, Hopperhasen, and Alles außer Schickimicki. The platform offers a freemium model with free podcast content and a paid Supporter membership for exclusive content. External podcasters can submit their RSS feeds for community inclusion via the Podcast Submission Service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Football was my first Love Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android that serves as the primary platform for accessing football podcasts, audiobooks, and exclusive audio content. Users can browse playlists organized by clubs (Borussia Dortmund, FC Bayern München, Hamburger SV, etc.) and topics such as groundhopping and fan culture.
• Podcast Aggregation Service Aggregation platform that collects football-related podcasts from third-party creators and organizes them into curated playlists by club and by topic. External podcasters submit their RSS feeds for inclusion, enabling community-driven content distribution to football fans.
• Hörbücher (Audiobooks) Curated collection of football-themed audiobooks available through the platform, covering topics such as club history, fan culture, and football storytelling. Certain audiobook titles are exclusive to paid Supporter members.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Apple Inc. (App Store)coreTechnology or IntegrationFootball was my first Love distributes its mobile application through Apple's App Store, allowing iOS users to download and access football podcasts and audiobooks on their devices.
• Google LLC (Google Play Store)coreTechnology or IntegrationFootball was my first Love distributes its mobile application through Google Play Store, enabling Android users to access the platform's football audio content.
• Stripe Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationStripe processes payments for Supporter subscriptions, handling SEPA direct debits and credit card transactions. Stripe transfers, processes, and stores data outside the EU under standard contractual clauses.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Podimo: European podcast subscription platform with premium creator content and a freemium model, operating across DACH and other regions; comparable as a paid-podcast aggregation platform targeting engaged niche audiences in the same geography.
• Acast: Open podcast hosting and monetization platform widely used by European independent podcasters, including sports creators; comparable as the underlying infrastructure and aggregator FWMFL's podcasters would otherwise use to distribute their RSS feeds.

Emerging players

• Castbox: Cross-platform podcast listening app with in-app subscriptions and creator monetization features; comparable as an alternative mobile-first podcast aggregator exploring premium/Supporter-style monetization models.
• Bundesliga / DFL audio content: Official Bundesliga media arm produces official podcasts, audio commentary and match-day content for German football fans; comparable as a rights-holder audio offering that could either compete with or partner around FWMFL's club-level curation.

Broad incumbents

• SPORT1 Podcasts: Major German sports broadcaster with a broad podcast network across football and other sports; comparable as a well-funded incumbent offering free football podcasts that compete with FWMFL's free tier for listener attention.
• DAZN: Global sports streaming subscription service with rights to Bundesliga and other football leagues, increasingly adding podcast and audio content; comparable as a high-scale audio/video sports platform pursuing the same German football fan wallet.
• ran.de (Sportschau/Sports1 sister): German sports news portal with significant Bundesliga podcast output across clubs and topics; comparable as a free, broad-reach audio destination overlapping directly with FWMFL's football content.
• Apple Podcasts: Default podcast distribution and discovery platform on iOS, hosting essentially every football podcast FWMFL aggregates; comparable as the free, ubiquitous distribution channel against which any paid Supporter tier must justify itself.
• Spotify: Dominant global audio streaming platform that hosts all the same football podcasts for free and invests heavily in podcast exclusives, recommendations and creator tools; the primary structural competitor to any podcast aggregator including FWMFL.
• kicker (Nürnberg-based): Germany's leading football media brand, also headquartered in Nürnberg, with a substantial podcast portfolio covering Bundesliga clubs; directly competes for German football audio attention and overlaps heavily on club-level content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/audiofootball

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Football was my first Love