The NFL and Bundesliga hope that the NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons in Berlin can create further growth for both entities. (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
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On Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts will host the Atlanta Falcons in the first-ever regular-season game in Berlin, Germany. It will be the fifth regular-season game to be played in Germany. The NFL first opened Germany to games in 2022, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers “hosted” the Seattle Seahawks at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
Technically, though, it will be the second time NFL teams have played at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. In 1990, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Rams and Kansas City Chiefs played an exhibition game at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
Back then, the National Football League wanted to set a symbol of solidarity with an about-to-be reunified Germany. The game was an initiative of then-31-year-old Roger Goodell, who is now the NFL commissioner.
The wall did, of course, come down on Nov. 9, 1989, the same date that the Colts and Falcons will play each other at the Olympiastadion. “It is an honor for us to play this game on a date with such enormous historic significance in German history,” head of Europe and Asia-Pacific NFL Brett Gosper said as part of a roundtable set up between the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), the governing body of the Bundesliga, and 2. Bundesliga and the NFL ahead of the big game.
Without a doubt, it is a date of reflection for Germany. Nov. 9 is a date that is significantly loaded. In 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated on Nov. 9, and on Nov. 9, 1938, Kristallnacht marked one of the darkest days in German history.
For the NFL, however, the game isn’t just about historic significance. It is also about continued growth in what remains the most populous and strongest economic market in Europe. And they are not doing it on their own either. In 2022, the NFL and the DFL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on international growth, particularly regarding the NFL’s presence in Germany.
“It is great to have an ally who has the same challenges when it comes to growing their brand globally,” Bundesliga International CEO Peer Naubert said at the same roundtable. “We couldn’t think of a better partner to jointly grow our brand and business in each other’s respective home markets.”
The partnership between the two entities goes way beyond the annual NFL game played in Germany. “We have gained significant traction in regard to joint activities over a very broad area of measures,” Naubert said. What do those measures include? “From hosting a medical conference together, on exchanging on injuries and preventions, up to having someone from the NFL speak at our sports innovation conference and doing joint marketing measures.”
The Colts and Falcons will face each other at the historic Olympiastadion in Berlin. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
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While those things certainly help both leagues, the most crucial part of the partnership is the growth of the respective brands in each other’s markets. In that regard, the NFL is certainly already on a different level than the Bundesliga, as evidenced by the activities it has conducted on the ground this weekend in Berlin.
A total of 11 teams are on the ground in Berlin, planning and executing various activations and media campaigns. In that regard, the Bundesliga is still in its infancy in the United States. “We’re conducting more than 1000 marketing activities globally each year,” Naubert said. “But yes, we could do more. Some clubs are already very active, but it is also about setting the stage for clubs to shine.”
What has the DFL and Bundesliga learned from the experience the NFL has provided in Berlin? “I wouldn’t just reduce it to Berlin itself,” Naubert said. “I am a big fan of everything the NFL is doing. But what I really like is flag football because it increases participation at the grassroots level. The level of commitment to local communities is amazing, and that’s something we like to copy.”
One aspect is the Bundesliga Common Grounds initiative, which aims to repair and revitalize soccer pitches in underserved communities across the world. Another aspect Naubert highlighted was the NFL’s approach to storytelling and narrative creation.
That doesn’t mean the learning is one-sided. The NFL, too, wants to learn from the Bundesliga. “I think the use of international players,” Gosper said. “The way that spikes interest in home markets is a great model. We are working to replicate that through our international player pathway, academies, and so on. Here, I think the Bundesliga is a real leader in that area.”
Ultimately, the partnership is very much about networking and developing ideas that can help the growth of both entities. “It isn’t about giving each other advice,” Gosper said. “But more like a general conversation about shared learnings and knowledge. It gives us a bit more certainty in a world of uncertainties. We have a long way to go outside of America.”
The same can be said about the Bundesliga. But both sides hope that the NFL game on Sunday between the Colts and Falcons can be a further catalyst for growth, building on that original game that took place all the way back in 1990.