International Women's Day: Stadium announcer Pitti Dahl – the woman with the mic

Pitti, today is International Women's Day. You've been the stadium announcer here since 2009. Our society was different 15 years ago. At that time you started in football as a woman. Can you still remember your first game? 

Dahl: It was 15 August 2009, a Bundesliga game against TSG Hoffenheim at the newly rebuilt BayArena. Kies (Stefan Kießling, ed.) was still playing. I was excited. Everything was raining down on me: Spectators, instructions from the director and your own voice that you hear on delay. I had to get used to that at first.

And now you've been doing the job for 15 years at every home game for our team at the BayArena. If you listen to you then you can immediately see how much fun the job is for you. What do you most love about it?

Dahl: I come from Leverkusen and I was always at the stadium as a fan beforehand. I helped set up the fan club ‘Jood Jeföl’ in 1993. The fascination of being on the pitch is still there. Also, I like the interaction with and proximity to the fans. It's great to be able to help shape this experience so that the fans are entertained and feel good alongside the action on the pitch. One of my favourite moments is at every home game: signing off with Tobias (Ufer, stadium announcer at Bayer 04, ed.) going across the pitch to the North Stand in front of B4 to celebrate with the fans. 
How did it all start?

Dahl: Meinolf Sprink (Director of Fans/Community at Bayer 04, ed.) had the idea back then as part of the reopening of the BayArena to make changes in the programme around the live event at our stadium. Now there are a lot of young fans who say: "I don't know what the stadium experience is like without Tobias and Pitti." And regardless of the CEO – whether it was Wolfgang Holzhäuser, Michael Schade or Fernando Carro now: It was taken for granted that I'd do it. That makes me very proud!

You also work in the marketing department the Werkself and are deeply rooted in the club. How important is it that women also work for a modern club?

Dahl: When I think about Tobias and me, I see that everybody has their own strengths and that we complement each other to the optimum. Women are perhaps sometimes more emotional and more sensitive socially. They have a fine sense for interpersonal relations. And particularly with such a labour of love as working for a football club, I think you can benefit from that emotionality.

The club has recognised that. There are certainly more women working here than in 2009.
Dahl: Yes, that's right. There could be more and, above all in management positions. We don't have a woman at director level but there are department heads. It's a step in the right direction and our management is also aware of that development, you can sense that. 

SC Freiburg have a female stadium announcer in Julica Goldschmidt, she is now the second in the Bundesliga. What do you want in the future in terms of women in football?

Dahl: I'm looking forward to the away game at SC Freiburg in a couple of weeks. We women have agreed to meet up. For the future, I'd like clubs – as we were back then – to be more courageous. As women are now playing a bigger and bigger role in society, I'd like that to be reflected in the football clubs. Women are a vital component and it simply enriches an organisation when women help shape things in crucial areas.