M / CLOUDY
With the European football season until August due to the coronavirus, it was too simple the loss of classic summer food from the sport: the tour abroad.
Annual tours only generate big profits for everyone involved: Barcelona has earned approximately $14 million for its participation in the 2018 International Champions Cup, according to Der Spiegel, but offers clubs the ability to unite with unwavering enthusiasts in the most remote corners of global and build relationships with stakeholder sponsors and local media.
But as the extent to which the pandemic would disrupt the obvious world game this winter, German Borussia Dortmund officials learned that their plans for a summer excursion to Asia, adding possible stops in China, Singapore and Japan, as well as a first, never visited through a mythical team in India – would want to be set aside.
“We are a football club, our players are evaluated through their performance in the area and evaluate us through the game in matches and tournaments, but nothing happens,” Suresh Letchmanan, general manager of the team’s Asia office, said this week. “Players stayed home to do their own exercises. What’s the matter with us?”
Like many other clubs that ran out of new content, Dortmund entered their archives, posted highlights and other fan-friendly documents on their social media channels. The positive reaction has led Letchmanan and other club members to think about what an Asian excursion might look like. implemented, even if players simply don’t travel.
“We saw this and wondered why not (do) something like the team’s journey, but put it on a virtual platform,” Letchmanan said. “We brainstormed and discovered a very unique feature of taking a virtual tour of the markets we were meant to be in. “
The efforts of Letchmanan and his team resulted in a virtual tour of Black and Yellow Asia, which saw Dortmund digitally unite with enthusiasts in countries that, in general circumstances, may have seen their favorite players in the friendly summer users.
As a component of the tour, which took place last weekend, the club broadcast an educational consultation for Chinese enthusiasts and sent pet Emma to the official Dortmund store in Shanghai. First team players participated in an online skills challenge with a local Singapore club. while Southeast Asian media received media consultations with international clubs such as Emre Can and Sebastian Kehl.
In Japan, Dortmund highlighted their main efforts in a webinar with Iwate Grulla Morioka, J’s third-team. League, and the Dortmund Soccer Academy, belonging to the English school chain Nova.
“We may have just signed with (first department clubs) Urawa Reds or Kashima Antlers, but we have a smart relationship with Nova,” Letchmanan said. “We seek to find tactics to share our reports with the club by sharing with the coaches how Dortmund football forms (and even) the projection of young footballers. “
At the event, former goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller spoke with academics from Teikyo University, one of the few universities the club is spoused with in the region.
“We feel that play and education have tactics to connect with others. There are the most productive experts in our club (including) nutritionists, psychologists, coaches from other age groups,” Letchmanan said. “This is the wisdom we have, and we would like to transfer that wisdom to the global. That’s why we’re looking to marry a university, especially looming academics who need to introduce globalization of gambling or globalization of game management.
Dortmund’s presence in Japan has grown over the past decade thanks to former Samurai Blue midfielder Shinji Kagawa, who joined Cerezo Osaka in 2010 and a key contributor to consecutive Bundesliga titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
After two seasons with Manchester United, Kagawa returned to Dortmund and nevertheless travelled with his teammates for the club’s front stop in Japan in 2015, where they defeated Kawasaki Frontale in a sold-out attack at Todoroki Stadium.
“It was an absolute model, not only from a Japanese point of view, but also from an Asian point of view,” Letchmanan said. “Shinji wasn’t there to sell products or to be called on the back of the shirt, He’s there to play football. He’s here because he’s a talented player. He’s there because the coaches and the technical team in their skills.
“To be completely honest, Japan was our first market we introduced before we became international. Japan opened organically and followed what DortmundArray did because we gave one of its children the chance to play at the highest level.
The legacy of Kagawa and his coach at the time, current Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp, allowed Dortmund to consolidate their symbol in Asia, entering the region much more recently than major European clubs such as Liverpool and Manchester United.
“Asia stands for success, fame and popularity. Follow your football idol, your Beckham, Ronaldos, Messis,” Letchmanan said. “The presence of the Premier League here for the last 15 to 20 years is a breakthrough for everyone else, to be honest, but we run our own career, we don’t compete with other leagues or clubs.
“It is smart to accurately perceive what (the big clubs) seek to achieve, however, our design and strategy are surely different. We’ve been here six years, enjoying every moment. “
With its growing virtual presence in Japan – the club’s LINE account has more than 115,000 enthusiasts and its new Twitter in Japanese has gained 7,000 fans in less than 4 weeks – Dortmund plan to continue their virtual success in the country over the next year. with more traditional video content and fan engagement opportunities.
“This total virtual tour has given us a platform to perceive what Japan wants,” Letchmanan said. “Japan’s total ecosystem is strong, but we want tactics to have a little more interaction.
“In those difficult times, it’s not easy to have spectators, and we don’t know how long it’s going to last, but you have to be a little artistic and know that there are tactics to bring the media and enthusiasts closer to the club. We can’t be there physically, but we can be there in the heart. “
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