Press release

Partnership between Stepstone and FC Viktoria Berlin is extended

• Stepstone main sponsor of the women's football team for another year
• Digital recruiting platform has been at the club's side since the beginning with a prominent team of investors
• The Stepstone Group CFO Thorsten Otte: "We want to build on the great success of recent years and take equal opportunities to the next level."

Berlin / Düsseldorf, 19 March 2024. The successful partnership between Stepstone and FC Viktoria Berlin is entering its next round: the digital recruiting platform is extending its main sponsorship of Viktoria's 1st women's team for another year until summer 2025. Stepstone has already been a partner of the 1st women's team for two years alongside the six founders including entrepreneur Verena Pausder and world champion Ariane Hingst as well as swimming star and club supervisory board member Franziska van Almsick. Stepstone is thus continuing to support the team in it's goal to advance toto the 1st Women's Bundesliga within five years - and as one of the pioneers in the German sports landscape to ensure greater fairness.  "We are delighted to continue our journey together with FC Viktoria Berlin. Our goal is to build on the great success of the past two years and take equal opportunities to the next level with our partnership - on the soccer pitch, but also beyond the touchline," says The Stepstone Group CFO Thorsten Otte.

Common milestones achieved: introduction of salaries, better infrastructure, championship title and DFB Cup round of 16

Stepstone has been the main sponsor of FC Viktoria Berlin's 1st women's team since 2022 and has shown great commitment. Thanks to this continuous support, important steps have been taken towards professionalizing the team - for example, improved medical and sports psychology care, as head coach Dennis Galleski emphasizes: "A sponsor like Stepstone is worth its weight in gold from a sporting perspective. Creating professional structures takes time, specialist know-how and a lot of positive energy. Stepstone enables us to take the next steps towards professionalization. We are grateful that Stepstone continues to support us on our path with power!" In addition, the professionalization of women's soccer goes hand in hand with fair pay - together with Stepstone, our players are being paid appropriately for their performance for the first time "Unfortunately, this is far from a matter of course in the women's regional league," says Galleski.

Next milestones for even more professionalization firmly in sight

After winning the championship and narrowly missing out on promotion last season, the team is currently in second place in the Regional League North East. However, the players were not only able to celebrate the championship title in 2023. The team qualified for the round of 16 of the DFB Cup for the first time in the club's history. The big goal of making it to the Bundesliga in five years' time is still firmly in the team's sights.

Verena Pausder, co-founder of the company that runs the women's team, emphasizes how important a strong partner like Stepstone is for the club's development: "We are delighted to have extended our partnership with our main sponsor Stepstone. This partnership is a perfect match, both in terms of people and content, and we already have so many good ideas about what else we can drive forward together." These include broadcasting more of their own matches to increase the visibility of women's soccer in Germany - with Stepstone's support, two matches have already been shown on free-to-air TV. The players are also supported with salaries, better training conditions and insurance. FC Viktoria Berlin wants to continue to stand for change in the sports landscape for women - in Berlin and beyond.

About The Stepstone Group 
The Stepstone Group is a leading global digital recruitment platform that connects companies with the right talent and helps people find the right job. The Stepstone Group connects more than 130 million job applications with around 140,000 employers every year. With its integrated platforms, The Stepstone Group simplifies the candidates job search as well supporting recruiters with AI-powered solutions for the entire recruitment process. In 2023, The Stepstone Group generated revenue of around €1 billion. The Stepstone Group operates in more than 30 countries - including Stepstone in Germany, Appcast in the USA and Totaljobs in the UK. The company is headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany and employs around 4,000 people worldwide. For more information: www.thestepstonegroup.com/en

Contact

The Stepstone Group Media Relations

press@stepstone.com