Munich to Stage First-Ever Regular-Season Game in Germany; Frankfurt also to Host Future Games

Following a aggressive application approach, FC Bayern Munich Stadium, the home of the Bundesliga champions, was selected as the venue for two of the 4 Worldwide Collection video games to be performed in Germany around the next 4 a long time. Frankfurt Stadium will also host two games.

“We are very delighted to welcome Munich and Frankfurt to the NFL spouse and children and are fired up to reward our followers in Germany for their enthusiasm by bringing them the spectacle of normal-year NFL soccer,” mentioned NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We glance ahead to staging our very first sport in Germany at FC Bayern Munich’s fantastic stadium later this year and to checking out parts of broader collaboration with the Bundesliga.”

The activity in Munich will be a person of five intercontinental online games staged by the NFL in 2022, which include 1 in Mexico and 3 in the British isles – two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a Jacksonville Jaguars dwelling recreation at Wembley Stadium. House groups for worldwide games will be introduced in the coming months, with dates and matchups to be confirmed in conjunction with the 2022 NFL plan announcement afterwards this yr.

Dieter Reiter, Lord Mayor of Munich, stated: “We are very delighted to welcome the NFL Global Series to Munich. It is a good honor for the state funds Munich to be the very first German metropolis to phase a standard-year NFL recreation. Quite a few Munich residents are large soccer enthusiasts and they will be thrilled that this magnificent sporting event is coming to their city.”

“We have been collaborating with the NFL considering the fact that 2014 when we opened our US office,” explained Oliver Kahn, CEO of FC Bayern Munich. “Our ambition was to attain and interact lovers in each other’s respective residence countries. We are delighted to choose this future action in our very long-time period partnership to host a regular-season NFL video game at our property stadium.”

Frankfurt Sporting activities Councilor Mike Josef stated: “American soccer was and nevertheless is at dwelling in Frankfurt. Which is why I’m incredibly pleased about the NFL’s final decision to appear to Frankfurt on a common foundation. The NFL is not just coming to Frankfurt for a activity. With its sustainable engagement in our neighborhood, we are sure to attain a wonderful boost for sporting activities in Frankfurt. We are wanting ahead to doing the job with the NFL.”

Axel Hellman, CEO of Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt, claimed: “We are totally thrilled to be web hosting two matches in the subsequent yrs listed here in Frankfurt. Welcome to Eintracht Frankfurt. Welcome to the coronary heart of Europe.”

Bundesliga CEO Donata Hopfen reported: “We are delighted that the NFL has consulted with the Bundesliga in the planning of its 1st typical-season NFL video games in Germany. These discussions have led each leagues to agree to investigate the opportunity of a mutually advantageous collaborative partnership which is quite exciting for clubs in both leagues.”

The range approach for NFL games in Germany commenced past 12 months with initial expressions of curiosity from nine cities, after which Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich ended up invited to take part in a complete analysis of the alternatives supplied by each city. The partnerships concerning the NFL and Munich and Frankfurt incorporate a joint determination to provide supporter engagements routines, group participation packages and other NFL initiatives.

“We are wanting forward to partnerships with Munich and Frankfurt that will extend further than the game titles and support us to deliver accelerated development in Germany,” mentioned Brett Gosper, NFL Head of Europe and Uk. “The powerful desire we gained underlined what a fantastic opportunity standard-time online games give for a host, ranging from substantial financial advantages and international exposure to the prospect to turn into a hub for the progress of the NFL’s admirer engagement, neighborhood and grassroots functions.

“We also thank Düsseldorf, which offered a potent aligned consortium with formidable ideas. We search forward to establishing a partnership there, with a opportunity for web hosting game titles in the long term.”

The staging of standard-year online games is aspect of the NFL’s escalating dedication to Germany. The League has recently appointed Alexander Steinforth as its dedicated typical manager for the territory and is dedicated to setting up a permanent headquarters in the region. It has also fully commited to investing in grassroots and neighborhood packages in Germany.

In December, the NFL declared that four NFL groups – Carolina Panthers, Kansas Town Chiefs, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – have been granted accessibility to Germany for internet marketing, admirer engagement and commercialization as element of its Intercontinental Property Marketing and advertising Spots (IHMA) initiative.

The NFL has appreciated a selection of potent several years of fan development in Germany, wherever it now has 19 million lovers. Weekly NFL television viewership on companions ProSieben and DAZN has grown by far more than 20 p.c annually due to the fact 2017, and millions of followers tuned in for Super Bowl LV last February, producing it the third consecutive season of file German Tremendous Bowl viewership. Germany is a main industry outside the house North America for NFL Shop profits, fantasy soccer participation and product sales of the Madden NFL video match.

A new study by AFG Videoforschung found that American football has turn into the 2nd-most well-known television activity in Germany, with just one in three people today getting viewed in the earlier calendar year.