The Signal Iduna Park outfit are keen to become a household name in Asia, where they have several friendlies arranged at the end of the season
By Stefan Doring
Borussia Dortmund believe their rivalry with Bayern Munich will help them to exploit new markets across the world as they bid to strengthen their global brand.
The German top flight is regarded as one of the strongest leagues in the world, but the Bundesliga is by no means as popular as Premier League and La Liga in growing markets such as Asia.
BVB are keen to become a household name outside of Europe, too, and are confident their rivalry with Bayern will be a key weapon in their marketability.
“The Bundesliga can only benefit from a strong Bayern Munich,” Dortmund’s head of new Business Development and International affairs Benedikt Scholz told Goal.
“But the clubs have to be going in the same direction for this. A rivalry between two clubs can only be a good thing. A major derby or a tight title race makes a league more interesting.
“I think that one of the reasons why Barcelona and Real Madrid have become global brands is their fierce rivalry and the Clasico.
“Dortmund have two important criteria when growing abroad. There has to be an authentic connection and we must feel a certain trust and believe that we can develop something in the long term.”
BVB have opened an office in Singapore to facilitate their growth and have scheduled a trip to Asia at the end of the season to play friendlies in Japan, Singapore and one more country in South Asia.
“The Asian trip will be the icing on the cake of our strategy to grow in Asia,” added Scholz. “After that we plan to shift our focus toward the USA a bit in 2016, when we have stablished ourselves a bit more in the Asian market.”