The Bundesliga is entering into partnership with the German sports aid foundation Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe. A cornerstone of the collaboration will be the sponsorship and promotion of elite athletes by the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH. DFL Chief Marketing Officer Tom Bender discussed the partnership with bundesliga.de.
bundesliga.de: Tom Bender, you announced the DFL's partnership with the Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe while in Beijing. What will the extent of the collaboration be?
Tom Bender: The Bundesliga occupies a privileged economic role within German sport, there's no question of that. In this context, we can but have all the greater respect for top athletes in other disciplines who are achieving success on a far more modest budget. The Bundesliga has always been an advocate of the principle of solidarity in sport. Here, it's a case of showing solidarity with our elite athletes. The collaboration will take as its motto “Athletes for athletes. The aim is to draw attention to and enhance the appreciation of other sporting disciplines. The partnership with the Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe is an optimal means of doing justice to that aim. In undertaking it, the German professional game is once again underscoring its commitment to the social agenda in our country.
bundesliga.de: Why did you opt for a collaboration with the Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe?
Bender: The Sporthilfe is an indispensable sports aid institution at both youth and top level. Since 1967, it has supported more than 40,000 athletes to the tune of 350 million euros in total an incredible sum, much of which has been derived from painstaking collection work. The foundation's sponsorship of sporting elites has also had a very positive knock-on effect across the board, as can be seen by the success of our national teams and individuals in numerous disciplines. The partnership of the DFL and the Deutsche Sporthilfe brings together two organisations which have epitomised success in professional, top-level sport for over four decades now.
bundesliga.de: What form will your support of the foundation take?
Bender: The focus of the partnership will be on the sponsorship of elite athletes. The DFL will be providing the Sporthilfe with financial aid as well as support in the areas of communications and knowledge transfer. We'll be making best use of the Bundesliga's high brand recognition and media presence to gain broader public recognition for the achievements of athletes in other disciplines, and for the work of the Deutsche Sporthilfe. To put it simply, with 33 million football fans nationwide and overall match attendances of more than 17 million last season, we are at a tremendous advantage from the off.
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