Bundesliga International to open Beijing office in March

Picture credit: Getty Images and DFL

Bundesliga International officially announced today (January 15) that they will open their China office in Beijing in March 2019, the month after the Chinese Spring Festival celebration finishes and the new year really kicks off here. 

The China office will add to Bundesliga’s international network which consists of two overseas offices in New York (Americas) and Singapore (Asia), as well as a strategic partnership in India with IMG Reliance. 

It will be headed by Patrick Stueber, Senior Audio Visual Rights Manager at Bundesliga International, who has been with the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) group since 2007. 

Along with the opening of the office, the Bundesliga states that they have established a long-term development plan for China. The office will help the Bundesliga to further build its presence in China and serve the footballing development and fanbase there, which are the main two central items to the Bundesliga’s plans, according to the announcement. 

They also plan to build on the relationship between German and Chinese football which was initiated by the two country’s heads, the German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and China’s President Xi Jinping, and football authorities in 2016 with the signing of a football knowledge sharing agreement between the two parties. 

Bundesliga International CEO Robert Klein said: “Through the opening of our office and implementation of a long-term strategic plan, we will continue to build on our deep connections with China and its fans who we know are passionate about the Bundesliga.

“Since 2016, we have been working closely with the Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB) and our clubs to aid the development of the game in this ambitious nation. Through the leadership and experience of Patrick Stueber, use of business intelligence and increasing on-ground activities, we will further increase impact by showcasing the qualities of the Bundesliga - football as it’s meant to be.”

As part of the efforts to strengthen their Chinese presence, the German top-tier league says they will deliver additional marketing activities in China through localized digital campaigns, increasing their online footprint. As an example, on January 18, the league will launch its official Toutiao account in China. 

They will also continue to cooperate in depth with their media partner PP Sports in China to promote the league here. 

The location of the office has not yet been officially disclosed. 

Currently there are 6 Bundesliga clubs who have opened offices in China – Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich, Dortmund, Monchengladbach, Frankfurt and Schalke 04. 

Reference: Bundesliga International 

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick