Internationalization of Professional Football Clubs: The Case of German Bundesliga and China

Abstract

Football clubs from the European Big Five leagues face limited opportunities for growth in their highly developed and competitive home markets. Therefore, internationalization into lucrative foreign markets becomes ever more important. Especially the Chinese market is increasingly targeted. Football development is promoted by the Chinese government and Chinese businesses engage in football-related activities. This study analyses the opportunities and threats of a market extension to China and evaluates strengths and weaknesses of Bundesliga clubs. While China offers great opportunities (e.g., political initiatives towards football promotion, growing prosperity), there are also threats including a massive dependency on the Chinese government, cultural differences, and increasing competition. Bundesliga clubs may particularly benefit from their positive brand image and tradition as well as its sustainable economic growth. However, many Bundesliga clubs lack brand awareness in the Chinese market and there are competitive advantages for clubs from the English Premiere League or Spanish La Liga.