While none of those pictured are professional footballers – very few female players are – they do take to the pitch for various regional teams. The women beat out 300 rivals to appear on the calendar, which was shot at Frankfurt’s Volksbank stadium.

Click here to see the calendar

The calendar’s creators say their main motivation was to promote women’s football, which gained a lot of publicity in Germany during the World Cup, despite the national team’s early exit from the tournament. “The calendar is meant to make women’s football more attractive, and help give it more media presence,” the calendar’s website declares.

The Playboy shoot created controversy ahead of the World Cup in Germany, but one of the players who appeared, midfielder Julia Simic, said it was about breaking down tomboy stereotypes about women footballers.

Click here for the national team’s Playboy pictures

“I think we’re well on our way to getting rid of that image,” she told the magazine. “More and more sweet, pretty girls are playing football.”

The Local/bk