There is little Alexandra Popp has not won in her career: three Champions League titles, an Olympic gold medal, seven Bundesliga crowns, 13 German Cup wins and an astonishing 145 caps for Germany.
Now, at 34, Popp has agreed a three-year move from Wolfsburg to Borussia Dortmund — the club “her heart beats for.” Raised in the region, this is more than a homecoming. It is a deliberate choice to help grow the game in Germany by joining a lower-league side that did not even exist five years ago.
Dortmund’s women first played in 2021, 13 years after Popp turned professional. Rather than buying a quick route into the top flight, the club launched a long-term project, climbing the leagues from the bottom. They sit in the third division and aim to reach the Frauen-Bundesliga within two years. Managing Director Svenja Schlenker called Popp’s signing a clear statement of the club’s ambitions, a sign Dortmund’s women are ready to take the next step.
“Alexandra Popp has become one of the defining figures of modern German women’s football. She represents more than sporting performance. She brings credibility, leadership and visibility,” said Dominik Schreyer, Professor of Sports Economics at Germany’s Otto Beisheim School of Management. He added that a star of Popp’s calibre draws fans and media interest, noting that people come to see familiar faces and that a stronger Dortmund would boost attendance and coverage across the league.
Attendance in the women’s Bundesliga has been growing, though unevenly. A 2024 industry review put the league average at about 2,894 fans per match. Later season reporting showed growth had slowed compared with earlier years, but it was more broadly distributed: many fixtures now draw between 1,000 and 5,000 spectators rather than attendances being concentrated on a few clubs. Dortmund’s women attracted 10,000 fans for a local derby against Schalke in 2025, and with some 230,000 club members there is reason to believe supporters of the men’s side will also back the women as the project advances.
Support from men’s clubs the only way forward?
Popp’s move raises wider questions about the sustainability of clubs that lack ties to large men’s organizations. Traditional independents are under pressure: SGS Essen have been struggling at the bottom of the Frauen-Bundesliga, and Turbine Potsdam — once a two-time Champions League winner — have slipped into the second division. At the same time, men’s-club-backed sides such as RB Leipzig and Union Berlin are positioning themselves to establish women’s teams in the top tier. A long-running dispute with the German FA over league structure adds complexity, but the trend is clear: projects tied to established men’s clubs are becoming more prominent, and Popp’s transfer underscores that direction.
Schreyer cautions that integration with a men’s club is not an automatic guarantee of success. “The idea that clubs backed by large men’s organizations have structural advantages is well established, but it is not something that can be verified as clearly as a transfer,” he said. Real progress requires deliberate effort to create synergies between men’s and women’s operations. For independent clubs, the pressure will grow; they will need strategies such as strong youth development, astute recruitment and a distinctive identity, and in some cases external investment may be needed to remain competitive.
Slow rise aided by structural support
Popp is not Dortmund’s only high-profile arrival. Ralf Kellermann, credited with building Wolfsburg’s women into a dominant force, has also joined Dortmund. Kellermann arrived at Wolfsburg in 2008 as a coach and later became sporting director, helping the club secure 20 titles including the famous 2013 treble. His move signals Dortmund’s seriousness and recognition that building a top women’s program requires more than money and a headline signing.
“If investment is sustained, progress can come quickly,” Schreyer said, but he stressed that success depends on recruitment networks, sporting structures and organizational know-how. Clubs often underestimate how long it takes to build those systems.
At the moment, both Alexandra Popp and Borussia Dortmund appear to be making calculated moves rather than impulsive ones. That combination — a marquee player, experienced sporting staff and a patient, integrated approach — is encouraging for a domestic game seeking to compete in Europe and for a national team aiming to win a home European Championship in 2029.
Edited by: Matt Pearson