In no other sport is the collective adoration of a team as great and far-reaching as in football. No other sport sees songs sung louder in the stadium or emotions run higher. In other words: football is religion. The beautiful game has attracted so many superlatives it could be likened to a king ruling the world.

Now this king has got some competition in the form of a younger sister. Seen at first as an annoying sibling, the women's game is coming out of the shadows of its older brother and building a reputable profile of its own. The game has developed into an elegant display of sport complete with solid passing and intelligent tactics.

As the German women's team enjoys success after success and prepares to host the 2011 Women's World Cup, many in Germany are wondering if the team will add a superlative no men's team has managed: winning the World Cup for three times in a row.

Marketing push needed

While the stands aren't empty at women's football matches, there are not nearly as many full seats as for the men's game. The atmosphere is far more relaxed: audiences tend to be families with small children and a more elderly crowd is drawn by a comparatively peaceful stadium experience. With a distinct lack of song-singing and the use of very small flags, it would be an exaggeration to say that women's football has reached cult status.

If Germany's women's football team is going to grow in popularity, it's got to get ride of "Karla Kick," the team mascot. This bear - or is it a cat - is not going to be a top seller.

More promising for cult credentials are the collectable stickers bearing the faces of the players, that can be swapped and put into albums. While tens of millions of the stickers featuring men are sold during every World Cup, manufacturers will be offering the female equivalent for the first time during the World Cup in Germany. The 40-page album will have space of for each of the 17 players from all 16 participating nations. The number of copies to be published is still in discussion. Whatever the final number, this time you might hear people swapping "Grings for Angerer," rather than "Özil for Podolski."

Success off the pitch

Female players have also found success off the pitch in the form of figurines in the "Tipp Kick" game. Invented over 90 years ago, the table game features two versatile metal players and a goal keeper who can be manipulated via a button. In 2010, the company released the "ladies competition" edition of the game, which was duly tested by female Tipp-Kick champion Birgit Kirschner.

The figurines handled well, said Kirschner, but she was disappointed to find the players much smaller than their male counterparts and "apart from their cliched long hair," had few female attributes with minute chests and over-large hips. CEO Mathias Mieg, however, sprang to their defense claiming "Tipp-Kick should not be sexist," as did sculptor Beat Künzler who claimed they were "proportionally" larger than life. The figurines are as yet only available for sale in Stuttgart airport's entrance hall.

As expected, the best-seller in the run up to the 2011 World Championships has got to be the football jersey. Adidas has commissioned designers especially for this occasion on home turf. The main color of the shirt is white, with hints of black, red and gold and the numbers and player names will have a more playful font than the men's version. Adidas is even making the exact same shirt available in a man's cut, although how keen men will be to walk around with "Prinz" on their back, remains to be seen.

The best ambassadors for the women's game are of course the players themselves. They train hard and they are technically advanced. They are friendly, without airs and graces - and they can speak in full sentences! Off the pitch they can just as easily be found gracing the pages of fashion magazines. The message is clear: these women are doing things on their own terms. Such qualities are sure to bring curiosity and positive attention to the women's game.

This has already been the case as many of their matches for this year's World Championships are already sold out. More than 600, 000 tickets have already been sold, with more sales expected throughout the tournament. Flag sales are not quite as healthy - a glut from last year are still in storage, but you never know, perhaps the marketing teams will come up with something special.

Author: Silke Wünsch / she

Editor: Sean Sinico