Bundesliga to develop and promote football in India

The partnership marks the league's first direct foray into the Indian market close on the heels of LaLiga's increased involvement.

The Bundesliga and IMG Reliance today announced an exclusive long-term understanding to develop and promote football and the Bundesliga in India. This will see the Bundesliga and its clubs work towards the growth of Indian football through a series of activities throughout the year, in collaboration with multiple Indian stakeholders.

The Bundesliga, the top echelon of German football, is ranked second highest earning football league globally with annual revenues in excess of 4.5 billion US dollars. Known for its affinity to fans, it also has the highest average stadium attendance worldwide at a staggering 44,000 per game. The League boasts of global brands such as FC Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund and some of the world’s best talent, including marquee names such as Robert Lewandowski, James Rodriguez, Manuel Neuer and Marco Reus, to name a few.

The Bundesliga is one of the most respected football Leagues in India with fans picking the Bundesliga as their second choice international football League. In order to grow Indian football, the Bundesliga will work with IMG Reliance across a host of football development projects. These will include leveraging Germany’s unparalleled youth development system to launch grassroots activities across multiple states with the vision of elevating Indian football. In addition, the Bundesliga will create deeper engagement with Indian consumers by organising visits from German football legends and current football stars, exhibition matches against German teams, match screenings and fan parks, so as to provide fans in India with unique opportunities to enjoy the Bundesliga. All such activities shall be promoted by IMG Reliance.

The Bundesliga will also work towards extending Indo-German cooperation in the field of football by creating platforms and opportunities for Bundesliga clubs to explore technical and commercial partnerships in India.

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Speaking about this, Robert Klein, Chief Executive Officer of Bundesliga International, said: “Indian fans appreciate pure and authentic football which is why they really connect with our league, which prides itself on being ‘Football as it’s meant to be’. The most goals of any top flight European league, the best fan experience, amazing stadiums and the platform it provides for young talent all make the Bundesliga a fantastic proposition for India’s passionate sports fanatics.”

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He continued: “We are extremely excited to be part of the growth story of Indian football and look forward to entering into further strategic partnerships in India. Not only are we intent on offering fans in India the opportunity to experience the Bundesliga in myriad ways, we are also extremely keen to create more opportunities for Indian footballers to excel on the international stage.”

Srinivvaasan Gopalkrishnan, on behalf of IMGR, added: “We are delighted to have been appointed by the Bundesliga to help grow this powerful global brand in India. It is an exciting opportunity for us to work with a football league that has a long-term vision for what it wants to achieve and has the strength of conviction to back this desire with the required investments.”