NWSL Chicago Red Stars and Germany's VfL Wolfsburg strike global partnership
The GIST: Diplomats at the U.N. General Assembly aren’t the only ones striking global partnerships this week. Yesterday, the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars and Germany’s VfL Wolfsburg launched a strategic alliance to build both brands domestically and abroad, while also capitalizing on the global growth of the women’s game.
The details: The clubs have already discussed commercial and marketing approaches, a Red Stars spokesperson tells The GIST. They hope to compare business practices, and are exploring the novel idea of jointly courting international brands to sponsor both teams in both markets.
- Staff at the two clubs will work together on player development and the teams could train together in the future. Also on the table? Playing friendlies against each other, which both marketing teams would advertise.
The context: Women’s soccer is building momentum in Germany following the Women’s Euro, where nearly 18 million people watched Germany lose the final to England.
- Efforts are also underway to boost the country’s domestic league, the Frauen-Bundesliga, by moving women’s matches to bigger stadiums and improving professional resources available to players.
The trend: International collabs are more en vogue than cooking your chicken in NyQuil. Angel City linked up with Mexican club Tigres Femenil in May for a similar partnership, while the Frauen-Bundesliga’s male equivalent recently expanded its business relationship with the NFL and teamed up with the Indian Super League.
Zooming out: Amid sports’ continuing globalization, women’s soccer is well-positioned to reap the rewards. International events like the World Cup may be the sport’s biggest properties, but club teams can reach new heights when they strategically take advantage of soccer’s global boom. Better together.
