BVB 09 America

UPDATE: Bundesliga Friendlies in America

2012-02-15T00:13:00.001-06:00

We hope you have read our previous blog post regarding Bundesliga Friendlies in America. Since we follow and support the league leading Bundesliga club, Borussia Dortmund, we would love to see them live in America. In order for this to ever happen, we have come to the conclusion that we will have to change attitudes here in America as well as in the Bundesliga leadership. Here are some additional facts we would like for you to consider:

German auto giant Volkswagen owns VfL Wolfsburg, a German Bundesliga club team. The American Headquarters for Volkswagen is in Herdon, Virginia. Herdon is within the metropolitan area of Washington, DC. There is a Major League Soccer franchise in DC as you may know called DC United. Just up the road 2 hours from DC is Philadelpia, PA, home of the Philadelphia Union MLS franchise. Just up the highway another 2 hours from there is New York City, where you can catch a game with the New York Red Bulls. Volkswagen, you may not know, has expressed that becoming the #1 seller of vehicles in the world by 2018 is a key corporate priority. Boasting the obvious marketing potential of owning VfL Wolfsburg, one would think that American Volkswagen Executives could do well to encourage the MLS (based in New York) to establish a few Bundesliga Friendlies on the Eastern seaboard of the US. Worried about ticket sales? How about an employee discount? How about your marketing sales incentives include some tickets to Volkswagen dealers in the area? You know, "Test drive a new Volkswagen, get 2 tickets to see the DC United play VfL Wolfsburg". It could work you know.

Chemical giant, Bayer AG, also owns a German Bundesliga club team appropriately named Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen finished 2nd in the league to Borussia Dortmund last year. They played FC Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday, February 14th, 2012. Needless to say, this is a good team with a good fan base that could grow it's fan base in America if they tried. Bayer AG has 16,400 employees in America and over 1,000 in Canada and it's American Headquarters are in Pittsburg, PA.

Bayer AG has sites in Morristown, NJ and Tarrytown, NY and Warrendale, PA. All relatively close to Philadelpia Union, New York Red Bulls and DC United MLS clubs. A little further up the coast is Montreal, home of the new MLS team, the Montreal Impact. Bayer AG also has sites located near other MLS clubs, specifically Berkeley, CA (San Jose Eathquakes). North American operation for the Animal Health Division are headquartered in Shawnee, KS (Sporting KC) with approximately 1,500 employees. They also operate in Baytown, TX (Houston Dynamos), and Montreal, Canada.

Essentually, Bayer Leverkusen has enough potential fan base and therefore enough ticket purchasers to pick and choose where to play in America. One year they could travel to the East Coast (Union, Red Bulls & United); next year they could make a Mid-America visit (Dynamos, Sporting) and then conclude with a West Coast trip (Earthquakes, Chivas, Galaxy). Do you think their employees could buy some MLS tickets? I would hope so.

FC Bayern Munich is the most well known German Bundesliga team in America, and they have long been the powerhouse club in Germany. Many German National Team players been under contract to FC Bayern through the years. In 2009, German auto company Audi, purchased 6.5% of the club and are one of their main sponsors. In case you didn't know, Audi cars are made near Munich. In America, Audi reported its 13th straight record-setting month of sales with 9,354 vehicles sold in January 2012, topping the 7,812 vehicles sold in January 2011. Year-over-year vehicle sales increased 19.7% over 2011, the previous record set a year earlier. The presence of Audi in America is growing! They are under the Volkswagen auto group of brands, and therefore are headquartered in the Washington, DC area too.

German sports apparel giant, Adidias, purchased 9.5% of the club in 2002. Adidas US Headquarters are in Portland, Oregon and they are home for about 900 employees in Portland. It just so happens that Portland has an MLS team, the Portland Timbers. Just less then 3 hours up the West Coast highway is the Seattle Sounders, another MLS team. Another 2.5 hours up the road from there are the Vancouver Whitecaps MLS team. Once again, simple logic would suggest that this Bundesliga club could easily sell tickets to help support an American MLS friendly or two.

Additionally, Adidas and Major League Soccer (MLS) announced a 8-year sponsorship agreement in August 2010 that will continue to make Adidas the official athletic sponsor and licensed product supplier for the league, and to work together to expand the developmental league for MLS through 2018. Adidas sponsors 6 of the current 18 Bundesliga clubs too. Seems logical to see the Bundesliga and the MLS come together for friendlies in America, if you're Adidas that is. Heck, Adidas is even into NASCAR, an American racing institution!

Recently we have had some conversations with the Soccer Elite who say, "it's a language barrier thing" as if all of America speaks Spanish and that is why FC Barcelona has already been to America to play friendlies with MLS clubs. Trust us, most Americans don't speak Spanish, nor would they ever meet a player face-to-face and have to carry on a conversation with a Barcelona soccer star. The broadcast and the interviews would all be done in English for the majority of American fans. This would be true for Bundesliga Friendlies too. Don't worry America, you won't have to learn German. Just learn more about the Best League in the World! You'll thank us later.

So, in conclusion, I hope this little update gets the power-that-be thinking that this can happen rather than can't happen. The American audience is ready for more then just Manchester United.

Prediction: 2012 Bundesliga Champions

2012-02-07T02:00:00.001-06:00

With a few matches completed in the Rückrunde, it's time to make a fearless prediction of who will be crowned 2012 Champions! You know of course, it's crazy to make this type of early prediction, but now that we've broken the ice so to speak, let the debate begin...

Current Table Standings (after 20 Matches):

Borussia Dortmund - 43 points; young players with moxie, aggressive style, a Dynasty in the making?
Bayern Munich - 41 points; tradition, feared competitor, are they hungry, do they have a sense of 'entitlement'?
Schalke '04 - 41 points, still have the monkey on their back of never having won it before...
Borussia Monchengladbach - 40 points, can they make an incredible run from the bottom to the top in one year? Best defense with lowest "goals against".

For this analysis, we broke what is left of the season into the next 8 matches, and then the final 6 matches.

NEXT 8 MATCHES

Easiest schedule - Borussia Dortmund over the next 8 matches (48 W, 52 L, 59 D combined opponents) and 5 of 8 are at home!
Worst schedule - Schalke '04 (58 W, 44 L, 58 D combined opponents) with 4 of 8 at home. They also play a deadly stretch in their next 3 matches (vs. B.M'gladbach - 4th place; vs. Wolfburg - 11th place; vs. Bayern - 2nd place) plus in this stretch they play twice versus V. Pizen in Europa matches. Ouch.
The rest...Bayern Munich (51 W, 49 L, 60 D combined opponents) with 4 of 8 at home. FCB must play at least two matches in Champions League play versus FC Basel during this stretch.
Borussia Monchengladbach (52 W, 49 L, 59 D combined opponents) with 4 of 8 at home.

Projected Points: Next 8 Matches

BvB'09 - (4 W, 0 L, 4 D) = 16 pts. - can they keep their streak of no losses since September alive?
M'gladbach - (4 W, 1 L, 3 D) = 15 pts. - even 1 loss will sting in this tight 2012 season.
FCB - (3 W, 0 L, 5 D) = 14 pts. - the most goals scored, the most clean sheets, can it continue?
S'04 - (3 W, 2 L, 3 D) = 12 pts. - too many losses in the early stretch of tough games.

Table Standings After Match Day 28:

Borussia Dortmund - 59 pts.
Bayern Munich - 55 pts.
Borussia Monchengladbach - 55 pts.
Schalke '04 - 53 pts.

LAST 6 MATCHES

Easiest schedule - Borussia Monchengladbach (41 W, 35 L, 44 D combined opponents) and 4 of 6 at home.
Worst schedule - Borussia Dortmund (52 W, 25 L, 42 D) and 3 of 6 at home.
Schalke '04 (42 W, 37 L, 41 D) and 3 of 6 at home.
Bayern Munich (43 W, 32 L, 45 D) and 4 of 6 at home.

NOTE: In Dortmund's last six matches, they play three straight matches versus their key 2012 rivals - FC Bayern, Schalke '04 and Borussia Monchengladbach. Again, ouch. As luck would have it, 2 of these 3 are at home.

Projected Points: Last 6 Matches

FCB - (4 W, 1 L, 1 D) = 13 pts. - the Beast is angry...and finishes with strong Wins...is it enough?
M'gladbach - (3 W, 1L, 2 D) = 11 pts. - the Win versus BvB'09 adds drama to the race...then Zidan's move from BvB to Mainz impacts their rivals when he scores a crucial goal in the final minutes of play to end the season (and their title hopes) with a Draw in their final match.
BvB'09 - (2 W, 1L, 3 D) = 9 pts. - can they really only lose 1 match since the end of Sept'11 until now?
S'04 - (1 W, 0 L, 5 D) = 8 pts. - cooked.

Table Standings After the Final Match Weekend:

Borussia Dortmund - 68 pts.
Bayern Munich - 68 pts.
Borussia Monchengladbach - 66 pts.
Schalke '04 - 61 pts.

KEY POINTS OF THIS PREDICTION:

Borussia Dortmund must take advantage of the favorable home schedule and ease of schedule over their next 8 matches. They need to maximize this stretch of points. They must prevent even one loss.
Schalke '04 will lose point opportunities over the next stretch of matches due to the toughness of their schedule and it will be tough to recover.
We project Bayern to lose point opportunities due to Draws and not Wins during the next 8 matches. Bayern must then work to prevent even one loss during this time and accept the 1 pt. from a Draw. We see Bayern making a strong push over the final 6 games to make a claim on the top spot. They must force at least a Draw with Schalke and BvB in the final stretch.
Borussia Monchengladbach will continue their strong defensive play, and snatch many points over the remainder of the Rückrunde. The only thing preventing them from being the Champion in 2012 will be the inability to secure a victory or a draw in 1 or 2 matches. This lack of closure will prove fatal to their aspirations of a Championship.

PREDICTION

2012 Champions on Goal Differential

*** Borussia Dortmund ***

(like I said, let the debate begin!)

Player Profile & Interview: Terrence Boyd

2012-01-28T21:35:00.001-06:00

In order to shed light on the club and build a greater following all over the world, we hope from time to time to be able to bring to you some interviews of people we think you'd be interested in. In this post, BvB 09 America would like to feature Terrence Boyd, a young striker for Borussia Dortmund II which plays in the fourth-division Regionalliga West. Terrence joined BvB's reserve team prior to the new 2011-2012 season after playing for Hertha BSC Berlin. His stats were an impressive 13 goals in 32 games for Hertha Berlin's U-23 team as a 19 year old.

Birtplace: Bremen Height: 6'0 Weight: 180 lbs.

Foot: Both Current Stats: 16 games, 10 goals, 2 assist Jersey: 9

Player's Agent: KL Sportsbase

Terrence Boyd is 20 years old, and will be turning 21 on February 16th, 2012. He was born in Germany, and his parents are an American father and German mother. Terrence did not obtain his American passport until the winter of 2010, which prevented his earlier debut for the American U-20 team. Since the Spring of 2011, he has been able to play for the American U-20's and late in the year he was asked to attend the pre-Olympic US Men's team camp in Florida. (stats as of 28-01-2012)

For the Borussia Dortmund II team, he scored four times in the first six matches, and nine times in their first twelve. He scored an early hat-trick in a game against SC Wiedenbruck. Acorrding to Soccerway.com, Boyd is the youngest striker on the team, an has the most goals scored for the team. Currently, Terrence is back with his club and preparing to finish out the reserve season, and hoping to get called up to the 1st team.

Our Exclusive Interview

BvB_09america: Terrence, our blog is about the Borussia Dortmund soccer club and in a way, also about the Bundesliga. You currently play as a Forward for Borussia Dortmund II. For those that don't know, what is your current situation with Borussia Dortmund and the US Men's National Team?

TB: "Right now I'm playing for the reserve team of Borussia Dortmund and I am in the US Olympic Pool and hope to represent the USA in London."

BvB_09america: Tell us about the moment you signed with Borussia Dortmund and how your development has been under their system and their coaching.

TB: "Well Dortmund scouted me last season when I used to play for Hertha BSC Berlin, I was quite happy to be given a chance at the best German club. So far everything is great in here the facilities, coaches and teammates make you better every day."

BvB_09america: Borussia Dortmund's 1st team is such a young team. You yourself will be just 21 years of age next month. How exciting is it to be a part of such a young yet impressive group of players?

TB: "It's cool to see that we have so many young players that are still hungry to achieve a lot, that's what makes us different."

BvB_09america: You were called up to play on the 1st team in October 2011 versus FC Cologne, and even though you didn't see the pitch that day, I'm curious...who do you feel is in front of you and your competition for a starting spot on the 1st team?

TB: "Yeah that's been a nice experience so far. Obviously Lewandowski is the striker number one at the moment and you can learn a lot from him, then there is Lucas Barrios also an impressive striker and then there are still two other forwards in front of me. So it's not easy to get into the team but it's the tough competition that makes you better."

BvB_09america: On BvB 2, you play under Head Coach David Wagner, who is also a German American soccer player. Regarding the coaching you've received so far, what would you say the BvB coaches have told you about your strengths?

TB: "David Wagner is a great coach who gives me good advice since he used to be a striker himself and the fact that he played for USA really motivates me. I think they are quite pleased with me, what really makes me different from all the other types of strikers is that I'm also pressing quite aggressive and force defenders into mistakes when we are playing against the ball."

BvB_09america: Likewise, what is the one area you and your coaches say needs to improve to have long term success in professional soccer?

TB: "It's the technique I've got to work on but this is just a matter of training."

BvB_09america: What soccer player did you follow as a kid in growing up Germany, and how do you feel your style of play has been influenced by him?

TB: "My absolute idol used to be Thierry Henry. His pace and finishes are extraordinary."

BvB_09america: For those of us who wouldn't know, what are the Borussia Dortmund facilities like? How would it compare to other similar American facilities?

TB: "Well, I haven't been to the training center of an MLS club yet, but the facilities of BVB, for example, include like 8 pitches, gyms, hot tubs, sauna, dining rooms, rooms for time off to watch TV or rest, areas for physiotherapists to get treatment and so on."

BvB_09america: If you were to take your friends on a tour of the facilities, what would be a MUST SEE! on the tour? Secondly, where would you take friends to in the City of Dortmund if they only had one day to visit?

TB: "If I could bring friends I would play ball on the pitch for sure since they are in an excellent condition and afterwards I would hit the hot tub with them. If they had one day to visit I would definitely show them the Signal Iduna Park, the stadium of BVB where 80,000 attend every match."

BvB_09america: Getting back to your transition to being a professional soccer player, do you have any sponsorship agreement? Like in the American Major League Soccer development system, home grown talent can sign an Adidas Generations contract. Is there something similar in the Bundesliga system for young home grown German talent such as yourself?

TB: "You get offers to get sponsored when you sign a professional contract, so I don't have any sponsorship yet."

BvB_09america: Let's move over the the USMNT. You are a German and an American citizen but you're trying to make the American team. It has to be pretty special to know the whole country wants you succeed. How did it feel to get called up to the Florida camp at the end of 2011 to train and play for the US Men's team?

TB: "It's always an honor to be invited to play with the best players of the USA. So I was excited to meet the teammates again since we got some funny guys on the team."

BvB_09america: When you talk to Jurgen Klinsmann, do you speak German? Is there any special connection because you can talk about German places, experiences, and people you both know with Coach Klinsmann?

TB: "I haven't talked to Jürgen Klinsmann yet, but that's on my to do list...."

BvB_09america: Let's talk a little about the American perception of Bundesliga soccer. Do you find that American soccer fans knows very little about Borussia Dortmund when you tell them that's your professional team? If so, why do you think this is?

TB: "Well the players of my US U23 team all know Borussia Dortmund and even know some players. So I think they are well informed about what's going on in the European leagues."

BvB_09america: If you had 10 minutes with the Board of Directors for Borussia Dortmund, what would you say to encourage them to grow their fan base in America?

TB: "I would tell them that USA is coming and developing rapidly at the moment and it would definitely be worth it to, for example, start a cooporation with MLS teams and do training camps over there."

HAT TRICK QUESTIONS (three rapid fire strike questions to finish off the interview)

BvB_09america: What is your favorite German food that's hard to find in America?

TB: "Nothing, it's the other way round I prefer American food and there is no french toast and gatorade here."

BvB_09america: Who is that one soccer coach you'll never forget and why?

TB: "My current coach David Wagner, he already did what I want to achieve. He played some matches for US first team and I've never developed better under a different coach."

BvB_09america: Who is going to win the Bundesliga championship this year?

TB: "Borussia Dortmund" (editor's comment - Yesss!)

Thank you Terrence. We wish you the best of luck in your professional career. Let all your fans know about our blog and tell them to follow us on Twitter @bvb_09america. We hope to see you on the pitch playing for the Borussia Dortmund 1st team or the USMNT!

Playing Friendlies in America

2012-01-21T00:22:00.001-06:00

The ultimate experience for a Borussia Dortmund fan has to be seeing a home game at Signal Iduna Park. I have to admit I wouldn't know this for a fact, but I've read enough to take everyone's word for it. I have only been to Germany once and we didn't take in any games when we were there in 2008. So, until I fly back to Germany, I guess I'll just have to catch them on TV. Speaking of the fans and home games, only FC Barcelona had a stronger attendance for 2010-2011 with figures reported to be at 79,390 versus 79,250 for BVB. That's just 140 average fans less then being #1 overall in game day attendance. Wow!

Yet, if I was a English Premier League fan or a La Liga fan, I could actually see my favorite team right here in America maybe every year during their summer pre-season friendly tour of the US. Just doing some basic research for this blog, I could see that the following teams visited America in last two summer friendly seasons:

2009

Chelsea, Real Madrid

2010

AC Milan, PSG, Legia, Red Star, Valencia, Tottenham, Manchester United, Sporting Lisbon, Inter Milan, Benifa, Cruziera, Celtic, Bolton, Portsmouth, Manchester City , CD Guadalajara and Juventus

2011

West Brom, Bolton, Manchester United, Newcastle, Everton, Manchester City, PSG, Arsenal, Barcelona, CD Guadalajara, Real Madrid, Sporting Lisbon and Juventus

2012

???...soon to be announced

Notice anything?

Warum ist die deutsche Fußball ignoriert die amerikanische Fanatiker und der amerikanischen Fußball-Dollar?

So, what is the deal? No Bundesliga club teams making trips to America? What is a reasonable pre-season trip for German soccer? Is it because there is no interest from either parties? Is it because it's too expensive to make the trip?

I have to believe that moving the pre-season up two weeks into July would be very much a possibility. I have to believe that there would be a considerable amount of interest in German Bundesliga teams, if nothing else then just the simple addition of a little spice into the usual Friendly scene in America. Finally, there is the potential for cost concerns. BVB has been under some financial pressure in the last decade and unless there is some revenue sharing from the MLS team that makes it worth their effort, BVB may not think it possibly or fiesable. Yet, then I see teams like West Ham United on the list from 2010 and if a team with debt and ownership issues can make the trip, I would think BVB could as well.

According to Deliotte's Sporting Group reporting for 2011, "Generally, clubs which have established brands with history and tradition augmented by support that reaches beyond domestic markets are the most successful in driving commercial revenues". Read that again. Yea, I know this blog is starting to sound like a broken record, but again we see the word "brand" when refering to a club. Is there a "BVB brand" established in America? Can there be? Would this time of renewed commitment to challenging FC Bayern and playing for a Champions League spot every year also be a time to align with an attempt to establish our brand in America too.

Also as reported by Deliotte, "Based on commercial revenue alone, Bayern would hold a top ten Money League position. There are three other German clubs in the commercial top 20 including Borussia Dortmund who generated the tenth highest commercial revenues of any club, despite not being in the overall Money League top 20". Schalke 04 is the second ranked team in the top 20 with BVB in the third position of the three German clubs. Finally, English and Spanish club teams earn the most from commercial revenues, with German teams ranking third. When you consider the fact that in 2010/2011 three La Liga teams played without a front-of-the-shirt sponsor, it is pretty amazing that Germany was only third. Then again, FC Bayern was the driver on the German group. Clearly, the German Bundesliga teams all need to do a better job of developing commercial revenue streams, with the exception of Bayern.

It seems that the brand that has been established for BVB is very, very strong...in Europe. Only FC Bayern has much success outside of Europe. Heck, in our local market there are youth soccer teams/clubs using red jerseys and playing as FC Bayern. I have to admit, it looks kind of cool. It would look even more cool to see the Yellow and Black of BVB here too. Imitation is the best form of flattery, as they say. Sadly, there's no imitation of BVB here.

In summary, we have an ever growing number of international friendlies here in America, but none are Bundesliga clubs, why? Commercialization revenues are strong (top ten) for BVB, but it is mostly derived from Europe, why? It appears that BVB has little interest in the American consumer and the former almighty dollar, why? We at BVB 09 America dream of the Yellow Wall in LA, Chicago, or New York while watching a MLS Friendly match in the summer of 2012. It's not too late to try. Show off Marco Reus and the new BVB roster this summer. Show the games back in Dortmund. Offer group travel to America for fans and stack the stadiums. Pregame tailgating with brats and beer, German style. Bring your youth teams for youth friendlies too. It can be done. Pick up the phone and call The Don, the MLS Commish. Thanks for reading.

The Push and Pull of Being with Puma

2012-01-16T00:21:00.001-06:00

On October 26th, the Herzogenaurach, Germany athletic apparel manufacturer PUMA published the following statement: "PUMA today announced that it has entered a new partnership with the German Bundesliga Champions, Borussia Dortmund. Effective from the 1^st July 2012, this new technical partnership will see PUMA provide official playing kits for all associated Borussia Dortmund teams, including the senior mens and all youth teams, as well as becoming the club’s official partner in relation to replica kits, fanwear and other merchandise."

"Borussia Dortmund will also join a host of international player assets that have joined PUMA in recent months including Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero, Ramadel Falcao and Cesc Fabregas." it also said.

BVB has been with Italian sports apparel manufacturer Kappa since the beginning of the 2009/2010 season, or just 3 years. During this time, Borussia Dortmund gave Kappa a Championship team to have within its fold. At a time for the team to take advantage of the increase visability from the championship season, their visability was muted for American fans and prospective American fans. I say muted, because their brand was not readily available for impulse purchases in America. This is what the retail sporting good stores call "the push and pull" of retail shopping. Let me explain.

There are two large brands in the American market, Nike and Adidas. In American, everybody knows Nike and it seems like Nike is in every sport and have a wide variety of sports teams under contract. Can you walk into a retail store and find Nike apparel? Yea, okay that's a stupid question. If you are a retail store, how could you not carry Nike? You can't, period. Sales are very strong for Nike in America and Adidas has said it is experiencing strong demand in the American market. Adidas is currently the 2nd largest sportswear manufacturer worldwide. In our area, Nike and Adidas both have outlet stores which further explain the ease of being able to get Nike and Adidas sportswear, even at cheaper outlet pricing. Okay, so what it is the point of blogging out this common knowledge? My point is that sports teams under contract with Nike and Adidas have a clear advantage over that of Kappa, and possibly Puma. They have the advantage of the "push" strategy.

To sell an offering you must effectively promote and advertise it by utilizing one of two strategies:

The PUSH STRATEGY maximizes the use of all available channels of distribution to "push" the offering into the marketplace. This usually requires generous discounts to achieve the objective of giving the channels incentive to promote the offering, thus minimizing your need for advertising.
The PULL STRATEGY requires direct interface with the end user of the offering. Use of channels of distribution is minimized during the first stages of promotion and a major commitment to advertising is required. The objective is to "pull" the prospects into the various channel outlets creating a demand the channels cannot ignore.

Okay, let me try to make this clear. Kids bring their parent into a retail store and readily have a multitude of Nike and Adidas apparel to choose from. They may visit the same soccer store on multiple times during the soccer season for new cleats, new balls, new kits, etc. When on trips to out-of-town tournaments, they may visit another soccer store just to kill time. Each time, what they see in these stores are being "pushed" out to them. They may make an impulse buy, choosing to select a FC Bayern jersey (Adidas) just because its there. Now, compare that to my recent new found love of all things BVB, and my "walk in" experience trying to get a Mario Gotze home jersey (Kappa). "Yea, I don't think I can get that. I can see, but it probably isn't something we carry". There in lies the explaination of Pull Strategy. They have to pull it from somewhere, cause they can't or won't "carry" it. So at a time when a Bundesliga Championship was won for BVB, it has been unfortunately more difficult for the impulse buy of BVB apparel in America. Sure, one can get it on the internet, but you can't quantify the missed opportunities to "build the brand" by creating a constant presence of BVB in American soccer specific retail stores.

Now, enter the possibility of Puma. On February 3rd, 2011, the US Women's Professional Soccer announced, "Sportlifestyle brand PUMA® kicked off the 2011 women’s soccer season during a launch event today, celebrating this momentous year for the sport, a new season for Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), and the debut of the PUMA Women’s Soccer Training Collection. With the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ on the horizon, PUMA pulled out all the stops to showcase its longstanding commitment to women’s soccer, the best female players on the planet, and the millions of young rising stars throughout the world". Puma at least is available in the American market. In 2011 it was also announced that Nike signed young Borussia Dortmund star Mario Gotze to an endorsement deal. Coupled that with the recent announcement of the new Puma team contract, and things are looking up for our favorite team and their ability to "push" the brand at young soccer minds in America, and thus "build their brand" here in America.

So why not pick Nike? I for one do not know the answer to this question. Borussia Dortmund has been with Nike before. For further background, you should read a great article pulished by schwatzgelb.com entitled "Back to the Swoosh". Why not Adidas then. Well, FC Bayern is Adidas and possibly one cannot build their brand when such a big part of that brand is indirectly then tied to your biggest rival, Bayern. Regardless, I wanted to blog about this recent development and suggest that now is the time to realize success on the pitch and in the brand that is Borussia Dortmund. As stated in our mission for this blog - we hope to raise awareness of our favorite team within America, and help create a strong following of BVB here. We hope Puma joins us in this and assist BVB in "pushing" the BVB brand into America. This time, when soccer is exploding in the American youth sports scene, we hope that BVB can capitalize on building their brand when they win their next Bundesliga championship. Luckily for Puma, this may be just in time for their new 2012 contract. Thanks for reading.

Bringing the BVB Club System to America

2012-01-14T21:51:00.001-06:00

Over several decades in America, local youth soccer clubs have grown in size and scope. As a member of the Board of Directors of our local club, I might be able to provide some insight on how we operate and how Borussia Dortmund might be able to help create a Win-Win environment.

The American youth soccer system is fragmented. Some clubs operate as a money making business while others operate their club as a true training ground for their youth. In any given city there could be dozens of clubs, fragmented again and in competition for talent. In some areas with more rural geography, superior talent is left to travel hours to just be able to have other similar peers to play with or play against. As the young progress through their local clubs, there is the constant questions of "Should I tryout for another club?". Their parents huddle together and ask, "So if we have little Johnny tryout for another team, which team?".

Additionally, coaches vary in their level of ability, knowledge and patience. This isn't probably much different from anywhere else, and it isn't the biggest problem. What harms a club the most and prevents growth in skills and talent, is the 'system' being taught to players and being 'taught' to the coaches. Yes, to the coaches. Here's my point: A great sales representative doesn't always make a great sales manager. A great connoisseur of beer won't always be able to run a brauhaus. A great soccer player won't necessarily be a great soccer coach. Who is training your coaches, and what system are they using to train your talent? Just because the coach has an English or Scottish accent doesn't mean ANYTHING!

So some European professional soccer clubs have begun to invade the American youth soccer system and offer to 'align with' the local clubs across America. An example is provided here.

http://www.fcgreaterboston.com/home/540709.html

Other examples include sports brokers who have been used to be a liaison between several professional clubs and the target local club, offering several clubs to align with and allow the local club to chose the system that appeals the most to their board or technical director. An example of this would be a group called Global Image Sports, or GIS. Their promotional brochure touts, "Through our partnership with some of the world's top youth academies, Global Image Sports can assist your club or youth organization with direct access to coach education and player opportunities from these Academies through our partner club program." Did you catch the part about coach education? GIS currently represents West Ham United, Wolves, Leicester City FC, FC Groningen, and FC Utrecht.

Ask yourself this, why aren't Bundesliga clubs making this step? Wouldn't they have a thing or two to say about youth academy systems? American soccer is developing and ripe for assistance in that development. Clubs are looking for that competitive edge to help solidify their club and answer that question posed earlier, "Which team should little Johnny tryout for?". An alignment to a BVB youth academy in America improves the local club's coaches, teaches them a training regimen and game strategy that set their youth up to catch the eye of professional scouts, and establishes a system of regional and national camps.

Why would BVB do this? What would be their benefit for the cost associated with staffing this system in America? It builds their brand. It enhances the following of the club in a large populated country with growing viewership of all things soccer. It spreads their ability to find a market to sell their jerseys and other apparel. As we say in America, "It sells tickets". It generates income and revenue. It pays off debt, eventually. If the Bayern Munich club is the NY Yankees of the Bundesliga and have all the cash in the world to spend, then beating them to America and the American wallet is more important if we want to compete.

Leadership. That is all that is needed. Forward thinking leadership. Why wait? Build the brand!

Thanks for reading our post, and please feel free to comment. Also, please come back. Prost!

How BVB 09 America Became My Passion

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I've been wondering how soccer became so much a part of our lives here in America. For me, it clearly is a recent phenomena. I grew up a baseball player, and I still follow baseball and love the game within the game that baseball provides. I tried to teach my kids the game, mainly because thats what Dad's do in America, right? Somehow, I failed. Somehow, baseball failed or soccer won, but regardless soccer has taken over.

I know, I heard all the jeers from my baseball friends about kids that played soccer and couldn't commit 100% to baseball. "I can't be at the practice on Saturday 'cause I have a soccer game" a kid would say. "Well, he must be one of those soccer kids then" one of the Dad's would say, and the other coaches would laugh. I wonder who will be laughing in the end?

Years ago, my oldest son proclaimed his love of soccer and his allegiance to Bayern Munich. "Who?" I said. Soon we were getting him Bayern Munich jerseys and scarfs and posters, etc. He enrolled in German language classes in high school and eventually became the President of the German Club. Can you see where this is going? I couldn't yet. I think I was in denial. My other younger boys were still playing baseball. There was hope. We had lost the first born, but the other two sons would save the family and continue the American baseball tradition. The American Pass Time - Baseball. The Field of Dreams - Baseball.

I began to notice that our DVR was becoming full of soccer shows: soccer games, soccer highlights, soccer documentaries, soccer news, etc. And when I mean the DVR was getting 'full' I mean FULL! How can anyone watch this much soccer? How can there be this much soccer to show on TV? Now, I was getting mad. This was going a little too far, and was getting close to being just weird. It was about this time that our oldest son enticed us to host a German foreign exchange student. We actually were excited and very open to it. The period was for only a couple of weeks but the experience was awesome. The culture we experienced was palpable. We discussed many items of American culture and German culture. Yes, we discussed soccer. Now can you see where this is going?

We hosted our friend from Germany in the Spring of that year and by the end of the Spring, my oldest son had come to us to suggest a trip to Germany for our family. We had never been to a foreign country, but the experience of the student exchange had influenced us a lot and we decided to look into it. I was given the duty of planning the trip...so soccer never entered my mind of things to do or see. We had precious few days in this country and soccer would not be one of them. We made the trip that summer, and what a trip it was. What a beautiful country. I had researched my family heritage during this time and learned that my Great Great Grandfather had immigrated to America from Prussia in the 1850's. The records we have are spotty, and so where exactly in 1850 Prussia is tough to pinpoint.

After that summer trip my eldest went to college and so things with soccer would return to normal, right? Not really. My other two sons had quit baseball, and soon I found myself coming home to soccer balls being kicked around the house. Soccer balls were everywhere, under every table, on every floor. The backyard grass yard where the boys would often play 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 soccer was more like a worn pad of dirt instead of a lush green field. Soccer on TV was still ever present and new shows and new games were constantly added. Another piece that fueled the fire for soccer in our household was the love of soccer in my brothers family. He also had two boys who played baseball, and soccer. Soccer won their too. My boy's cousins from across town played soccer at a higher level. One of them was presented with an opportunity to play soccer for the IMG school in Florida. He left home for a year and played soccer year round and traveled to international tournaments. Their cousin, my brother's son, eventually signed to play for a Major League Soccer team. Now you see where this is going?

Of course we had to get season tickets. We were excited for him, the soccer was a by-product of the effort to support the family. Yet, now for the first time we watched the soccer with more interest, or at least I did. I really enjoyed myself and I know the whole family did. Now I found myself watch the soccer that filled my TV and DVR. One day I noticed a Bundesliga Magazine show about a young soccer star for a German Bundesliga team. I liked the story. I liked following prospects, more then superstar veterans, and this kid looked like someone who I might follow for his career as I might follow my nephew's new career. I remember thinking to myself, "This is could be my favorite team." This team: Borussia Dortmund. You know, maybe this was where our family was from. I can pretend, right? As the MLS season came to a conclusion, the European leagues were beginning. Soon, my other boys had switched from their favorite MLS team they had been following to new teams, both Barclay's Premier League teams.

Conversations at dinner were often about soccer stars, soccer scores, soccer teams, soccer transactions, and soccer injuries. I felt left out a little. When I mentioned things about our local Major League Baseball team, the conversation would tail off and return to soccer. Baseball still held my interest, but soccer held theirs. If I was going to continue to be able to converse and be relevant, I had to pick a team. As the Bundesliga season of 2011-2012 progressed, my new favorite team was actually once again a top contender. After winning the championship in 2011, Borussia Dortmund were again on fire and I was able to rub it in when they bested the Bayern Munich team my eldest son loved so much. Now, along with our favorite MLS team from America, we all had favorite teams in other leagues, and those teams were all very good teams.

So, that brings us up to today. As I researched more about Borussia Dortmund I was surprised to find such a rich heritage of excellence. With all the ESPN and sports news, sports highlights we get here in America, it appears we haven't found the excellence of soccer played in longstanding clubs in Europe. I hope to change this. In the coming weeks and months, I hope you follow this Blog and learn more about this awesome team and talented group of players and coaches. Thanks for reading.

In the beginning...

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Borussia Dortmund have won seven German football championships, two German Cups, a record-tying four German Supercups, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and one Intercontinental Cup. Their UEFA Cup Winners' Cup win in 1966 made them the first German team to win a European title.

This blog is about our favorite soccer team in the world, Borussia Dortmund, aka BVB_09. It has been created to help people, mostly Americans who mis-guidedly follow English Premier league soccer as if it was the best anyone had to offer. In the coming weeks, months, and years...our goal is to drive awareness and appreciation for Borussia Dortmund in America. It is our goal, that we begin to see BVB jerseys more then Bayern or Man United or Arsenal jerseys. It is our goal that television viewership skyrockets for BVB games in America. It is our goal that American audiences begin to follow BVB stars like Lewandowski and Gotze like they do Messi, etc. It is our goal that they desire stars from BVB to finish their careers in America's MLS seasons like Beckham and Henry.

Stay tuned. Thanks for reading our Blog and don't forget to come back. Please bookmark us and let us know your comments.