Bundesliga partners with IMG-Reliance as it turns focus on India

The Bundesliga have announced a strategic long-term partnership with IMG-Reliance to develop and promote football and the Bundesliga in India. 

As part of this initiative, various clubs from the Bundesliga are set to conduct a host of activities in collaboration with Indian stakeholders to work for the growth of Indian football, it has been announced.

Along with IMG-Reliance, the Bundesliga has stated its intention to launch a plethora of grassroots initiatives which will leverage Germany's unparalleled youth structure.

They also plan to organise visits from German football legends and current football stars and exhibition matches against German teams. Match screenings and fan parks are also being mooted.

Speaking about this, Robert Klein, Chief Executive Officer of Bundesliga International, said: “Indian fans appreciate pure and authentic football which is why they really connect with our league, which prides itself on being ‘Football as it’s meant to be’. The most goals of any top flight European league, the best fan experience, amazing stadiums and the platform it provides for young talent all make the Bundesliga a fantastic proposition for India’s passionate sports fanatics.”

He continued: “We are extremely excited to be part of the growth story of Indian football and look forward to entering into further strategic partnerships in India. Not only are we intent on offering fans in India the opportunity to experience the Bundesliga in myriad ways, we are also extremely keen to create more opportunities for Indian footballers to excel on the international stage.”

Srinivvaasan Gopalkrishnan, on behalf of IMG-R, added: “We are delighted to have been appointed by the Bundesliga to help grow this powerful global brand in India. It is an exciting opportunity for us to work with a football league that has a long-term vision for what it wants to achieve and has the strength of conviction to back this desire with the required investments.”

The top-tier of German football league has a lot of fans in India, given that the likes of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund ply their trade there. It is the second highest earning football league globally with annual revenues in excess of 4.5 billion US dollars. It also has the highest average stadium attendance worldwide at a staggering 44,000 per game.