Macau (MNA) – A representative from German football team Borussia Dortmund (BVB) told Macau news Agency (MNA) that the club has plans to bring its Legends team, composed of former renowned players, to play in Hong Kong this Summer, with a match in Macau also being considered.
“We just fixed this game in Hong Kong and now we’re looking for further games in Mainland China, Macau, and Shenzhen probably,” the head of BVB’s International & New Business Head of China, Benjamin Wahl, told MNA today at the sidelines of the SPORTELAsia conference being held at JW Marriott until March 7.
The football team currently has a list of 48 former players it wanted to play in its BVB Legends team, a list including former goalkeeper, Roman Weidenfeller (BVB player between from 2002 and 2018 and World Cup champion in 2014); Brazilian player Márcio Amoroso dos Santos (2001-2004); German midfielder Lars Ricken (1993-2007); and striker Karl-Heinz Riedle (1992-1997).
“We’re in the process of calling them and see if they are available […] The team will most likely play against the Liverpool Legends team,” Mr. Wahl told MNA.
According to the club representative, the trip to Asia is part of BVB’s initiatives to contact its fanbase in China, with the club having first established an office in Singapore in 2014 and another in Shanghai in 2017 after noticing the growing interest towards the club in the country.
“We’re still surprised about the studies. Some studies say 23 million BVB Chinese fans, a huge number for us,” he added.
According to the China head of the eight-time German champions, the club’s first approach for the country was to be close to fans in terms of merchandise and digital platforms, while getting closer to its commercial partners.
“There’s also two other approaches concerning the governmental and educational part, talking to universities and schools longing for European football in China […]. We will try to have some sport projects that BVB is well-know in Europe for, such as youth football development,” he indicated.
This year French team Paris Saint-Germain opened a PSG Park in Shanghai, with Spanish club Real Madrid having previously established a partnership with the Hong Kong Lai Sun group for an interactive football experience centre -including Virtual Reality and a club museum – as part of Phase II of the Novotown entertainment complex in Hengqin, set to open in 2021.
When asked if BVB would consider establishing a similar entertainment experience park, Mr. Wahl stated “it’s a nice idea” but that the club’s focus in the country was more towards youth development and fan outreach.
“All the big clubs are coming to China. English clubs have been here in Hong Kong for 20 years. Bayern Munich was here very early, but I think each club has a different approach so we don’t see us right away as a competitor. We have our own approach with the youth development team and the the fan side,” Mr. Wahl.
