Second Women’s Soccer Talk at UAS Technikum Wien
18 March, 2025
At the invitation of the football startup zone14, representatives of top clubs discussed equal opportunities and professionalization in women’s football.
On March 3, 2025, the second edition of “Women in Soccer – The Talk” took place at UAS Technikum Wien. Experts from different areas of the sport discussed equal opportunities, media presence and the future of women’s soccer.
Right at the beginning of the event, the first panel discussed the challenges and progress in the area of equal rights. The first panel included Anna Ressmann (Vienna Football Association, FC Mariahilf), Katja Gürtler (head coach of SK Rapid Vienna) and Nikola Staritz (project manager of the fairplay initiative). They highlighted the successes achieved so far and the hurdles that still exist for women in football. Sabine Merwart (head of event management) and a representative of UAS Technikum Vienna also spoke a few introductory words on the topic of women, technology and football.
Media presence and public impact
The second panel discussion focused on the media perception of women’s football. FIFA referee Sara Telek, Katja Gürtler and Nina Potz (league manager of the Women’s Bundesliga) discussed how the visibility of women in sport can be increased. It became clear that both the media and clubs must actively contribute to promoting the women’s league.
Professionalization and future prospects
The evening concluded with a discussion on the professional development of women’s football. Lisa Alzner (head coach St. Pölten), Lisa Makas (sport director FK Austria Vienna), Michael Erlitz (sport director Sturm Graz) and Jürgen Tröscher (sport director LASK Linz) provided insights into current strategies for professionalization. It became clear that sustainable development is essential to establish women’s soccer in the long term.
Sky reporter Nera Palinic hosted the evening and the discussions. The event not only offered exciting insights, but also numerous networking opportunities.
zone14 closely linked to UAS Technikum Vienna
The Viennese company zone14, which was founded in 2021, has already established itself in Austria in the field of artificial intelligence for video analysis in soccer training. In addition to well-known professional clubs such as FK Austria Vienna and Wiener Sport-Club, amateur teams such as FC Stadlau, SV Großweikersdorf and SK Rum also rely on the zone14 system.
The Sportstech start-up is part of the entrepreneurship initiative of University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, through which the university supports company partners in the areas of talent acquisition and growth. The start-up has been connected to the university for quite some time – two of the founders are graduates. Simon Schmiderer completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Sports Equipment Technology (today: Human Factors and Sports Engineering and Sports Technology) at the university. In turn, Tobias Gahleitner is a graduate of the bachelor’s degree program in Smart Homes and Assistive Technologies and, like Lukas Grömer, now works as a lecturer at the university of applied sciences.
Fotos: zone14
Further links:
zone14 – Women in Football – The Talk 2025
Technikum Podcast #24: Simon Schmiderer on the use of AI in football training
Entrepreneurship in Technology – UAS Technikum Wien
New partnership between zone14 and SK Rapid Vienna: AI-supported video analysis in soccer training
2024: Women in soccer: celebrity guests at the zone14 panel discussion
Video of the event on March 3, 2025: (in German)
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