Bavaria instead of Brazil: Where the Bundesliga needs to improve

Bayern Munich were leaving South Korea for Hong Kong and Borussia Dortmund have just returned from Japan but apart from the big two most Bundesliga clubs are staying in Europe although the league badly wants to raise marketing income from abroad.

RB Leipzig visited South Africa after the past season and promoted Paderborn plan to travel to the United States during the next international break starting in late September.

That is four of 18 clubs from the top flight while others like Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt are not travelling far away after going to Brazil and the US, respectively, 12 months ago, and Frankfurt also to the US in 2024.

That even though Frankfurt board spokesman Axel Hellmann had insisted last year: "As a general principle, the Bundesliga has to travel more. Even if it's difficult to fit into the calendar, there has to be a contribution to creating value for the Bundesliga."

Now Frankfurt are in Bavaria and Leverkusen at the eastern German resort where England had their Euro 2024 base camp.

Austria is also a popular destination for many clubs, offering excellent training conditions and cheaper than leaving Europe, but that won't help close the marketing gap on England's Premier League and LaLiga in Spain.

Bayern and Dortmund not happy

"It cannot be the case that this year Leipzig travelled internationally immediately after the season and now Dortmund and we are doing the same, while every three or four years we hear all the uproar and complaints about the distribution of international television revenues. That's absurd," Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said.

Bayern's marketing board member Rouven Kasper added: "That is far too little. Bundesliga clubs need to think more strategically. The English travel the world — that also means German clubs have to be active."

The feeling is similar in Dortmund where CEO Carsten Cramer told the Westdeutsche Allgemeine paper: "We should recognize the opportunities that international marketing offers instead of always talking first about possible risks. I think it's a shame that after the World Cup only Bayern and we are travelling again."

Bayern's travelling delegation witnessed how stars such as Manuel Neuer and local hero Minjae Kim were celebrated in South Korea.

And Cramer said that "it is a sign of Borussia Dortmund's strength that we actually make money from these trips."

Leipzig call for visibility

Leipzig went to South Africa after the US and Brazil in previous years, and their managing director, Johann Plenge, told the SPOBIS portal that they see themselves as representatives of the whole league while also urging others to travel.

"If the Bundesliga wants to grow in markets such as America, Brazil, the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region or sub-Saharan Africa, it must, above all, be visible there. It must provide stories. It must give local media partners, platforms and fans reasons to engage with the Bundesliga.

"The Premier League has been active internationally on a significant scale since the late 1990s. You can’t catch up on that in just one or two years.

"Many people only look at the final step. But we need to talk more about the steps that come before that. First, people need to get to know the Bundesliga. Then the players, the stories and the clubs.

"That’s how you build relevance and reach. That’s the triad: relevance, reach, revenue. If you try to reverse that order, it becomes difficult."