Ahead of the start of the Bundesliga this weekend, German Football League (DFL) CEO Christian Seifert said that the league "is well positioned, but he warns of unreasonably high expectations and appeals for healthy growth," according to Marco Heibel of GOAL. Seifert: "Looking at it objectively, never before, either domestically or internationally, have so many people been interested in the Bundesliga. It has never played in better, more modern and safer stadiums. Despite reasonable ticket prices, it has never had more economic possibilities." Despite this "great outlook," Seifert does not want to generate success at any cost. Therefore, the league is still not considering the acquisition of a naming-rights partner. Seifert: "Changing the name Bundesliga in order to generate between €20M-€30M ($27M-$40M) doesn't make a lot of sense considering a total revenue of €2.5B ($3.3B)." However, an area where Seifert sees room for growth is int'l marketing. Seifert said, "The worldwide press hype, which has surrounded German football and reported on an alleged change of power, showed how important the Champions League is for the international recognition. In that respect, it was a great support for the new international TV contracts" (GOAL, 8/6).
