Chiefs Kingdom is expanding its empire across the pond.
As Germany hosts an NFL regular-season game for the first time this weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs are making major inroads into the country to grow their fan base and capitalize on a developing NFL market.
“We’ve been very, very aggressive,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan said. “We are very excited about what we have done in Germany. So far, we have come a long way in developing our brand. “
As part of the NFL’s Local International Marketing Area (IHMA) plan, the Chiefs are one of four groups, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots, that must conduct marketing, fan engagement and marketing in Germany.
Ahead of the 2022 NFL season, Donovan said the Chiefs had the fifth-largest NFL logo in that country.
The Chiefs have a strong multimedia presence in Germany. They have grown up on social media there and even have a token on their official to translate the text into German.
Why such a push in Germany? It’s a coveted market.
The NFL has more than 19 million fans there lately, according to the NFL International Fan Tracker, and is already the most popular game on television among German audiences between the ages of 14 and 49.
“We’ll get there eventually,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said, “and we’ll play in front of the enthusiasts and see what that vibe looks like. “
The Chiefs had hoped to be part of the first game of the NFL regular season in Germany, but instead, the Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks will play in Munich on Sunday.
The Chiefs even sent former stars Dante Hall and Tim Grunhard there in April to capture B-roll footage and as a way to popularize the logo before the game.
However, the team leaders are convinced that they will play in Germany in the near future.
“I think we’ll make up our minds in the next two or three years,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said. “Obviously, we would love to play in Germany if the opportunity arose. “
If and when this happens, the Chiefs will make a conscious effort to market their logo in Germany.
During the 2002 NFL Draft, former American football player Oliver Bierhoff officially announced the Chiefs’ fourth-round haul of Joshua Williams on a Chiefs draft night in Munich.
And in August, DAZN broadcast all 3 of the Chiefs’ preseason games in Germany.
The Chiefs are prioritizing Germany, even though they also have IMHA rights in Mexico.
“It’s a much richer opportunity for us,” Donovan said. “There are 4 groups that have the rights of Germany and there are nine that have the rights of Mexico. So when you analyze it strategically, where are you going to spend your money?”Resources? We are moving aggressively to Germany.
There is another connection to Germany because Hunt is also president and CEO of FC Dallas, and the Major League Soccer franchise is aligned with FC Bayern Munich, a world-famous soccer club.
From an agreement with FC Dallas’ youth academy, two of their players, Chris Richards and Thomas Roberts, spent 10 days with FC Bayern Munich in 2018, and Richards ended up signing a contract with them.
“We established a partnership about 4 years ago that was aimed at young emerging players,” Hunt said. “Bayern is the biggest sports logo in Germany, so having that dating was very advantageous for us. “
FC Bayern Munich and AC Milan played a game in Kansas City in 2019, and Mahomes enjoyed watching FC Bayern Munich play.
“You have to respect that game there,” he said. The fans, the way they fill this stadium and the kind of athletes who play this game, it’s great. “
FC Bayern Munich’s home of the 75,000-seat Allianz Arena will host the Seahawks-Buccaneers match.
The Chiefs hope to play there as well.
“In the meantime, we’re going to lay the groundwork,” Hunt said. So when we get there, all the enthusiasts in Germany will know who we are and then we can build from there. “