Yeni Malatyaspor
Ankaragücü
Leeds United
Sheffield Utd
B. Dortmund
St. Pauli
Alaves
R. Valladolid
Monaco
Lille
Tim Kirk, who is head of training at VfB for U10s – U12s, recently attended Soccerex 2023 – the leading football convention in the USA. The gathering in Miami featured representatives from the football sector from around the world, including VfB and six other Bundesliga clubs. This is VfB’s first participation at Soccerex, as the club looks to increase international awareness of the Bundesliga. As such, relevant stakeholders were involved in discussions in Miami on the subject of ‘USA as a target market for the Bundesliga’, with an increased presence in the USA being a significant part of the globalisation strategy of the DFL (German Football League).
Tim Kirk took part in various forums, including one on how youth set-ups work and the perspectives they offer (‘You Can Win Everything With Kids! – From the Youth to the First Team’), exchanging ideas with representatives from clubs including Ajax, Benfica and Paris St. Germain. He took the opportunity to present VfB’s youth academy as one of the best of its kind in Germany and indeed the world, and to outline the training concept and the challenges of bringing on young players.
“For VfB and our partners, and also for the Bundesliga, the USA is a very important and incredibly exciting market, which why we took the team to Austin, Texas last year,” said Rouven Kasper, VfB’s Chief Marketing & Sales Officer. “We have various fan clubs and camps that are part of our football school across the USA, and as a club, we are looking to have an increased presence and activity in the future. The competition with other football leagues and other sports is enormous in the USA, which is why it is all the more important that we as a Bundesliga club make regular visits and maintain personal contact with all the relevant stakeholders.”
