German Football Federation (DFB) Team Manager Oliver Bierhoff believes that the German national team "has growth potential in the areas of sponsorships and int'l marketing," according to Kaufmann & Renner of HANDELSBLATT. Bierhoff said that Asia and the U.S. "provide the biggest growth potential for the national team in terms of int'l marketing." He said, "Adidas is selling more and more jerseys abroad. In China, we are by now the most popular team. And if I look at the income from general sponsorships then we certainly will have room to grow our sponsorship revenue after the end of our contracts in 2018." Bierhoff added that the DFB "knows what it has in its partners." He said, "They've stayed with us in difficult times. Mercedes for more than 20 years and adidas even longer." However, he does not completely rule out a change of general sponsors. Bierhoff: "I see it the same way as I see it in sports: competition is always good. Competition always drives. Competition boosts the performance. Therefore it is legitimate that we look, as a federation, at where we are on the market." In terms of int'l marketing, Bierhoff said that "the obvious problem is that the team rarely can be on location." He said, "Therefore it is important to have a cooperation between national team and clubs. It also helps the clubs when we play a successful World Cup." On the domestic front, Bierhoff's hopes "are pinned on plans for a new DFB performance center in Frankfurt" (HANDELSBLATT, 3/3).
