May 9 –Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund has forged strong links to the ex-patriate Polish community in its local area. So much so that the club has a significant Polish player contingent and even a major Polish sponsor. In an exclusive interview with leading Polish sports businesss website www.temporada.pl, Dortmund’s head of business development Benedikt Scholz (pictured) explains the club’s strategy approach to maximising its Polish connections.
When did you notice that fans from Poland are getting more interested in your club?
One of the key factors was a wave of migration in 1950’s and 1960’s, when the Ruhr area saw an influx of Polish people who were looking for a better life conditions. Many Polish people, or people who were born in Poland have a deep connections with the Ruhr area. For example, in our phone book you can easily find a lot of Polish surnames.
Polish company, Oknoplast, is moving rapidly into the football market. Inter Milan, Olympique Lyon and now Borussia Dortmund. What can both sides benefit from this cooperation?
For Oknoplast it is important to improve their range and strengthen the brand in a new market. Our club perfectly fits into the current communication strategy of the company. Oknoplast used Borussia Dortmund as an assist, communication tool for the European market, in particular focusing on Poland and Germany. Please note that BVB, as a football club, has wide range of advertising possibilities, like bands, LED screens, sponsor boards of an enormous media range. That is why we are great foundation to build a communication platform. Especially for a company that plans to operate in the German market.
We were, and still are, in touch with other companies. We are very convinced that we can offer a great communications channels for Polish companies, and also for the Polish market. The talks are led by the Sportfive agency, which represents Borussia in Poland.
Are you planning to visit Poland for a friendly game?
In 2012 we were in Warsaw during summer, so relatively not a long time ago. For the moment we are looking the possibility of playing a friendly game.
Would you establish an academy outside of Germany?
Borussia Dortmund currently runs football academies in Austria, Switzerland and Japan. In 2012, together with the clothing company Puma, we began training under a completely new system in Tokyo. We have our German coach there, who started the process of creating a football school. The programme is about teaching not only football skills, but German language and culture in particular. In total, we have trained over 200 kids to date. In the near future we plan to develop the academy.
Is BVB planning to open a similar academy in Poland?
Poland is a very important market, we are considering opening an academy in your country, however at the moment it is just idea. Because of the players, teams and leagues connections and of course general proximity of our countries, it is significant to us. Poland has plenty of young talents worth discovering by creating and developing training networks. Upcoming years are going to be crucial in terms of communicating and opening for different regions than Germany.
During the winter transfer window it was confirmed that Robert Lewandowski is moving to Bayern Munich. Are you afraid that it may cause a lower interest from Polish supporters?
Interest by the fans in Poland is mainly owed to the excellent performance of so called “Polish trio”, but also great co-operation with the Polish media – Eurosport2, which broadcasts Bundesliga, and TVP Sport which broadcast the Borussia Dortmund magazine show in Poland. Cooperation with local media and opening our club to such a huge market as Poland is extremely important.
BVB is a worldwide brand, strengthen by the good results. What do you do to arouse fan’s interest outside Germany and Poland?
In the last few years we have opened plenty of new communication channels. Our current website is not only in German, but also in English and Japanese. Our official internet store is likewise available in three languages. Our Twitter account is available in German and English. Soon we are planning to open up for the Chinese market, for example through the internet store.
The sale of club merchandise has increased from €9 million (in 2009 and 2010) to €30 million in 2013. This rapid growth is of course caused by the great results that we have achieved lately. Since 2009 we are focused on developing net sales outside Dortmund, in whole Germany.
So did the sponsorship income and participation benefits shape up during last years?
Since 2005 our sponsorship income has grown constantly, and last year was around €70 million. Media income grew, mainly resulting from the great Champions League run where we reached the final stage. It was way more than usual profits from UEFA.
You are constantly compared with Bayern Munich, in terms of results, but also financial considerations.
We do not want to be compared with Bayern in general. Bayern is a very well organised club, a financial power, very hard to be compared with. We are aware that we are a good European team, however in our case the Champions League final was an exception after many years. We focus on ourselves and we try to improve our condition as best as we can.
For more information on the business of sport in Poland go to www.temporada.pl