Building the Bundesliga Dream

BERLIN — Overseeing VfB Stuttgart's marketing and sales for China carries special personal significance for club board member Rouven Kasper.

Kasper celebrated his son's first birthday on Chinese soil and welcomed his daughter into the world in Shanghai. His affinity for Chinese culture and sports has persisted through the years, making the recent visit of China's Under-16 national soccer team to Germany under the "Bundesliga Dream" project particularly gratifying for him.

The project, established in November 2023, is a collaboration between the German Football League (DFL) and the Chinese Football Association (CFA), involving key figures like Bundesliga International (BLI) CMO Peer Naubert, BLI head of Asia-Pacific Kevin Sim, CFA president Song Kai, and CFA vice-president Yang Xu.

Building bridges between his native Germany and his "second home" China has become a matter close to his heart.

"To build bridges between the cultures is overwhelmingly important as it is to fill the relationship with life. People need to talk and exchange experience and opinions," Kasper told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The Stuttgart official described China as one of the most important international markets, but his interest in the country goes beyond sport and economic ties.

"We in sports have the opportunity to provide emotional and economic fundament," he said. "Common talk between people has become an important tool to understand each other and expand the relations between the countries."

"At VfB Stuttgart, we want to not only have an exchange in sports but an intercultural dialogue," Kasper added.

As part of the project, sports officials and business leaders convened in Stuttgart to discuss collaborative ventures.

"We see new demand for leisure time and sports growing rapidly," Kasper said of China's increasingly sophisticated market.

Consequently, Stuttgart has intensified its collaborative endeavors and is keen to "emphasize our social obligation as a driving force".

Kasper highlighted this commitment encompasses expanding exchange and educational initiatives for both players and coaches.

Getting used to European soccer's speed, tactics and operational procedures is helping Chinese talents to gain ground.

Xinhua