In December 2021 the clubs of the German Football League decided to make sustainability a condition of the license to play. TSG Hoffenheim described the two Bundesliga divisions as the first major professional football leagues with mandatory sustainability criteria in their licensing rules.
The criteria were adopted on 30 May 2022. They cover club management and organization, environment and resources, and stakeholders. For the license for the 2023/24 season, clubs had to meet 39 minimum criteria of the first category.