The Germany women's stars always linger on the pitch at the end of home matches, but the habit has little to do with the first stages of recovery from their energetic efforts over the preceding 90 minutes. The real reason is a heartfelt desire to thank the adoring home public, which invariably includes the signing of countless autographs. Indeed, the post-match ritual often turns into a veritable signing marathon, as hundreds of girls cluster at the fence, proffering every item which could conceivably accept a highly-prized autograph.

Young and aspiring female players idolise the likes of Silke Rottenberg, Steffi Jones, Ariane Hingst, Nadine Angerer, Kerstin Stegemann, Renate Lingor, Celia Okoyino da Mbabi, Simone Laudehr and above all Birgit Prinz, regarding them not simply as sporting heroes but more as role models. The phenomenon is not confined to Germany's stadiums. It is reflected in a breathtaking increase in the number of women and girls registered as club players. Speaking at a women's and girls' football congress in 2004, German FA (DFB) President Dr Theo Zwanziger called for a twofold increase in the number of girls' teams. That challenging target has effectively been achieved in three years. Some 3,400 teams took part in organised girls' football in 2004, a number which had risen to 6,267 by the end of 2006.

The rise is attributable to the DFB girls' football programme, established in 2004-05 and aimed at boosting female membership of football clubs. The initiative was exploiting fertile ground, as a study found that six out of ten girls in Germany would relish the chance to play football. The membership drive centres on advice and support from the decentralised regional associations, helping to establish and expand girls' and women's football sections at club level.

Schools are another important channel in providing girls with access to the game. A DFB schools football offensive saw some 22,000 German primary schools supplied with equipment, including 100,000 balls and 400,000 training bibs, at the start of the 2006/07 school year.

Using targeted initiatives of this nature, the DFB hopes a broader grass roots operation will provide a solid foundation for the highest levels of the sport. The stated goal is to maintain current standards, although the bar is already set extremely high. Germany won the FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in 2004 and has claimed the UEFA U-19 European Championship crown on four occasions. The reservoir of potential is vast, as FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter recognised when he said: "The future of football is feminine."