The DFB have announced a new focus on LGBTIQ rights and visibility in football as part of an ongoing and widening approach to diversity and inclusion issues.

The national competence and contact point for gender and sexual diversity will be launched on January 1st and have funds to create resources, offer training, put on events and drive other initiatives to create visibility for LGBTIQ communities in football.

The contact point will be housed at the Lesben- und Schwulenverband in Deutschland (LSVD) based in Berlin.

Christian Rudolph, the LSVD employee who has long been active in the area and a contact person for diversity at the Berlin Football Association (BFV), will be the named individual leading the project.

The DFB say the work will will focus on all areas of the LGBTI community including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Inter people.

Günter Distelrath, DFB Vice-President, said: "Sport and football are unfortunately still parallel worlds when it comes to approaches to gender and sexual diversity. Our football has to be diverse and non-discriminatory, everyone should be able to play feeling accepted. We don't want to lose talent.”

Christian Rudolph commented, "Visibility is essential to our topic, and we must continue to create awareness of sexual and gender diversity.

”We want to promote the dialogue between organized sport and the LGBTI + community, raise awareness of the issues and provide information."

The contact centre will support the inclusion of trans people in football. In 2018 the German government passed legislation allowing for a third gender category on identification and other documents. Regulations in the regional associations of the DFB have yet to be updated and the DFB say they are keen to address this gap. In the meantime they have implemented initiatives such as the provision of unisex toilets at DFB Cup matches and international matches.

The contact point is initially scheduled as a pilot project for 18 months.