Discover Football

What Discover Football does

Discover Football is a Berlin-based non-governmental organization operating as an initiative of the registered association Fussball und Begegnung e.V. Founded in 2009, the organization describes itself as the world's leading network using football as a tool to advocate for gender equality in women's sports. It organizes international exchanges, conferences, workshops, and tournaments that provide platforms for women and girls to develop skills, share knowledge, and gain visibility in football, with documented programming spanning Germany, Brazil, India, Lebanon, and the broader MENA region.

The organization runs no proprietary technology products or software platforms; its core delivery is event-based, implemented by two paid employees and approximately 20 volunteers who meet in plenary session every two weeks. Activities cover thematic areas including international tournaments, seminars and conferences, advocacy campaigns, networking, exhibitions and publications, and local commitment programming. Recent and ongoing projects include the Schiedsrichterinnen (female referees) initiative funded by the Bundeskanzleramt, the Get Active Fortbildung in Eberswalde 2025, and prior programming such as the 2019-2020 North Lebanon gender-equality project and the 2019 FAIR PLAY 10th anniversary festival.

Discover Football generates no commercial revenue. Its operations are funded through project-based grants from German federal bodies (Federal Foreign Office, Ministry of the Interior, Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Bundeskanzleramt), EU funding channeled via Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Cultural Foundation of the German Football Association (DFB), and individual donations via the spenden.twingle.de platform. The organization has raised no venture capital or equity funding, holds no patents or trademarks, and holds tax-exempt charitable status (gemeinnützig) in Berlin.

Name

Discover Football

Legal name

Fussball und Begegnung e.V.

Website

https://discoverfootball.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Discover Football is a Berlin-based non-profit NGO founded in 2009 that organizes international conferences, festivals and exchanges to advocate for gender equality in women's football, funded by German federal grants, EU/GIZ partnerships, and donations, with no commercial revenue or technology products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports non-profit and gender equality advocacy

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF)

Keywords

• Women's football advocacy
• Gender equality in sports
• Sports non-profit network
• International football events
• Sports development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Accepts donations through spenden.twingle.de platform to support organizational activities and projects.
2. Government Grants: Receives funding from German government bodies including Federal Foreign Office, Ministry of the Interior, Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, and Bundeskanzleramt (Federal Chancellery). Also receives EU funding through GIZ partnerships.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Discover Football organizes international exchanges, conferences, workshops, and tournaments where women and girls develop skills and share knowledge in women's football. The NGO acts as a global network platform that uses football as a tool to advocate for gender equality and the elimination of discrimination against women in sports, with events such as the FAIR PLAY Festival, the Home Game Festival, the Coaches and Referees Conference, and country-specific empowerment projects (e.g., North Lebanon, India, Brazil). It does not sell commercial products, subscriptions, or software; all activities are mission-driven and funded by grants and donations.

Product overview

Discover Football is an NGO (non-governmental organization) that does not offer a commercial software product or technology platform. The organization is a Berlin-based non-profit founded in 2009, operating as a network that uses football as a tool to advocate for gender equality in sports. Discover Football organizes international exchanges, conferences, workshops, and tournaments where women and girls develop skills and share knowledge. Their activities focus on advocacy, networking, and event organization rather than technology product development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Schiedsrichterinnen (Women Referees) Project Project aimed at increasing the number and support for women referees (Schiedsrichterinnen) in amateur football, open explicitly to trans\*, inter\*, and non-binary persons, with registration via an Airtable form and funding from the Bundeskanzleramt.
• FAIR PLAY Festival International festival organized by Discover Football that gathers women footballers, coaches, and activists from multiple countries to share knowledge, develop skills, and advocate for gender equality in football.
• Women's Football Media Conference Conference program providing a platform for exchange between women's football activists and female journalists, aimed at increasing visibility and improved media coverage of women's football.
• Coaches and Referees Conference International conference connecting female football coaches and referees from across the world to share expertise, develop skills, and build networks within women's football.
• Sport Disrupted: Sex_uality Matters Conference Conference focused on gender binary, sex testing, and LGBTQI+ issues in sports, co-organized with Bilitis (Bulgaria), LEAP Scotland (UK), and Civil Works (Hungary), and supported by the Dreilinden Foundation.
• Moving Perspectives Brazil Campaign / Girls Football Camp International campaign and Girls Football Camp organized during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, in partnership with Asociación Estrela Sports and Guerreiras Project, providing a football program for girls from Rio de Janeiro favelas and an international exchange.
• Home Game Festival International Women's Football & Culture Festival organized in Berlin, with the 2016 edition focusing on refugee women and global refugee movements, including the 'DAY FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN' event.
• Our Bodies, Our Rights, Our Game - Festival in Goa Festival in Goa, India combining women's rights advocacy with women's football, gathering about 100 girls from India to develop skills, share knowledge, and advocate for gender equality.
• Promoting Gender Equality through Women's Empowerment in Football in North Lebanon (and the MENA region) Gender equality in football project targeting female football players and coaches in North Lebanon and the broader MENA region, implemented with GIZ and Lebanon's Ministry of Social Affairs and co-funded by the EU.
• Female Soccer & Empowerment Conference (Mentoring Conference) Mentoring conference pairing Young Leaders (18-29) and Senior Activists (30+) from women's football to share knowledge and develop leadership across generations.
• Women's Football in South East & East Asia Conference Regional conference focused on the development of women's football in South East and East Asia, providing a platform for knowledge exchange between women's football stakeholders in that region.
• Get Active Fortbildung in Eberswalde 2025 Continuing education (Fortbildung) program held in Eberswalde in 2025 as part of Discover Football's current project portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10+ years of continuous operation since 2009
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bilitis (Bulgaria)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2019Co-organizer of the 'Sport Disrupted: Sex_uality Matters' conference (2019) focused on gender binary, sex testing, and LGBTQI+ issues in sports.
• LEAP Scotland (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2019Co-organizer of the 'Sport Disrupted: Sex_uality Matters' conference (2019). Part of Erasmus+ project 'Diverse Identities in Sports'.
• Civil Works (Hungary)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2019Co-organizer of the 'Sport Disrupted: Sex_uality Matters' conference (2019).
• Dreilinden FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2019Funder and supporter of the 'Sport Disrupted: Sex_uality Matters' conference (2019) and related Erasmus+ 'Diverse Identities in Sports' project.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Implementing partner for the 'Promoting Gender Equality through Women's Empowerment in Football in North Lebanon' project (2019-2020). Project part of Local Development Programme for Urban Areas in North Lebanon (UDP_NL), co-funded by EU and Germany.
• Ministry of Social Affairs (Lebanon)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Government partner for the Promoting Gender Equality project in North Lebanon, working on strengthening female football players and coaches.
• FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2016Partner sponsor of the Home Game Festival 2016 in Berlin, which focused on refugee women and global refugee movements.
• US Embassy in GermanyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2016Sponsor of the Home Game Festival 2016 in Berlin.
• Asociación Estrela Sports (Brazil)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 July 2014Brazilian partner organization for the 2014 Moving Perspectives campaign during FIFA World Cup. Collaborated on Girls Football Camp in Rio de Janeiro favelas and international exchange activities.
• Guerreiras Project (Brazil)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 July 2014Brazilian partner for the 2014 campaign, working together on women's football activities during the World Cup period.
• Fußall und Begegnung e.V. (Football and Encounter Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Parent organization/association of DISCOVER FOOTBALL. The initiative is run under this registered non-profit association. Board members: Valerie Assmann, Daniela Bergmann, Pia Mann, Friederike Möller Bhering.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kick It Out: England football's leading anti-discrimination organization. Comparable advocacy and education mission targeting discrimination in football, with similar event-and-campaign delivery approach.
• streetfootballworld: Global network of more than 100 football-for-good organizations. Closest structural analog: a network operator using football as a vehicle for social outcomes rather than a club or federation.
• Women Win: International non-profit investing in girls' and women's sport and rights. Directly comparable: women's-sport-focused development NGO with grant-funded programmatic model.
• Football for Peace: NGO using football to build peace and intercultural understanding. Similar football-as-tool-for-social-outcome model with global projects and event-driven delivery.
• Soccer Without Borders: US-based non-profit using soccer for refugee and newcomer youth integration. Comparable use of football as a tool for inclusion, particularly for marginalized populations.
• FARE Network: European network tackling discrimination in football including gender, racism, and LGBTQI+ issues. Already a Discover Football partner; same anti-discrimination advocacy space across European football.
• Women in Football: UK-based network and advocacy organization for women working in football. Closely comparable: women's-football-focused advocacy, networking, and professional development mission.
• Common Goal: Collective of football professionals and organizations pledging 1% of income to football-for-good initiatives. Comparable mission (leveraging football for social impact) and similar network/advocacy orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Laureus Sport for Good Foundation: Global foundation funding sport-for-development programs including women's empowerment through sport. Comparable funding-side mission in the women's-football-adjacent development space, but operates as a large-scale grantmaker rather than implementer.
• Right To Play: Large international sport-for-development organization working across multiple sports and countries. Comparable sport-as-tool-for-development model but at significantly greater scale and across multiple sports.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/discovfootball
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_wRdfXY4536TXz9oO3jLwQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/DiscoverFootball
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/discover-football
• Instagraminstagram.com/discoverfootball_berlin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Discover Football