[Source: The Sports Consultancy] The National Football League (NFL) has confirmed that Munich has been chosen to stage the first-ever regular-season game in Germany during the 2022 season.

Following a competitive application process, FC Bayern Munich Stadium, the home of the Bundesliga champions, was selected as the venue for two of the four International Series games to be played in Germany over the next four years. Frankfurt Stadium will also host two games.

The NFL engaged London-based agency The Sports Consultancy (TSC) to design and deliver a structured host selection process, commencing in June 2021. TSC supported the NFL to engage cities across Germany, with in-house law firm TSC Legal providing contract drafting and negotiation services.

“We are very pleased to welcome Munich and Frankfurt to the NFL family and are excited to reward our fans in Germany for their passion by bringing them the spectacle of regular-season NFL football,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We look forward to staging our first game in Germany at FC Bayern Munich’s fantastic stadium later this year and to exploring areas of broader collaboration with the Bundesliga.”

The game in Munich will be one of five international games staged by the NFL in 2022, including one in Mexico and three in the UK – two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a Jacksonville Jaguars home game at Wembley Stadium. Home teams for international games will be announced in the coming weeks, with dates and matchups to be confirmed in conjunction with the 2022 NFL schedule announcement later this year.

The NFL has staged 30 regular-season games in London since 2007. As part of the NFL’s 17-game schedule, each team is required to stage at least one international game every eight years

Dieter Reiter, Lord Mayor of Munich, said: “We are very pleased to welcome the NFL International Series to Munich. It is a great honor for the state capital Munich to be the first German city to stage a regular-season NFL game. Many Munich residents are big football fans and they will be thrilled that this spectacular sporting event is coming to their city.”

"We have been collaborating with the NFL since 2014 when we opened our US office,” said Oliver Kahn, CEO of FC Bayern Munich. “Our ambition was to reach and engage fans in each other’s respective home countries. We are delighted to take this next step in our long-term partnership to host a regular-season NFL game at our home stadium.”

Frankfurt Sports Councillor Mike Josef said: “American football was and still is at home in Frankfurt. That’s why I’m very pleased about the NFL’s decision to come to Frankfurt on a regular basis. The NFL is not just coming to Frankfurt for a game. With its sustainable engagement in our community, we are sure to achieve a great boost for sports in Frankfurt. We are looking forward to working with the NFL.”

Axel Hellman, CEO of Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt, said: “We are totally excited to be hosting two matches in the next years here in Frankfurt. Welcome to Eintracht Frankfurt. Welcome to the heart of Europe.”

Bundesliga CEO Donata Hopfen said: “We are pleased that the NFL has consulted with the Bundesliga in the planning of its first regular-season NFL games in Germany. These conversations have led both leagues to agree to explore the potential of a mutually beneficial collaborative partnership, which is very exciting for clubs in both leagues.”

Host selection process

The selection process for NFL games in Germany began last year with initial expressions of interest from nine cities, after which Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich were invited to participate in a full evaluation of the opportunities offered by each city. The partnerships between the NFL and Munich and Frankfurt include a joint commitment to deliver fan engagements activities, community participation programs and other NFL initiatives.

“We are looking forward to partnerships with Munich and Frankfurt that will extend beyond the games and help us to deliver accelerated growth in Germany,” said Brett Gosper, NFL Head of Europe and UK. “The strong interest we received underlined what a fantastic opportunity regular-season games offer for a host, ranging from significant economic benefits and global exposure to the chance to become a hub for the growth of the NFL’s fan engagement, community and grassroots activities.

“We also thank Düsseldorf, which presented a strong aligned consortium with ambitious plans. We look forward to developing a partnership there, with a potential for hosting games in the future.”

The staging of regular-season games is part of the NFL’s growing commitment to Germany. The League has recently appointed Alexander Steinforth as its dedicated general manager for the territory and is committed to establishing a permanent headquarters in the country. It has also committed to investing in grassroots and community programs in Germany.

In December, the NFL announced that four NFL teams – Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – have been granted access to Germany for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization as part of its International Home Marketing Areas (IHMA) initiative.

The NFL has enjoyed a number of strong years of fan growth in Germany, where it now has 19 million fans.  Weekly NFL television viewership on partners ProSieben and DAZN has grown by more than 20 percent annually since 2017, and millions of fans tuned in for Super Bowl LV last February, making it the third consecutive season of record German Super Bowl viewership. Germany is a leading market outside North America for NFL Shop sales, fantasy football participation and sales of the Madden NFL video game.

A new survey by AFG Videoforschung found that American football has become the second-most popular television sport in Germany, with one in three people having watched in the past year.

FC Bayern Munich has won 30 national championships, 20 domestic cups and six UEFA Champions League titles, making it the most successful German team in history. The club’s unique ownership structure sees more than 290,000 club members own a majority share

Florian Kraus, Munich’s Head of Department, Education and Sport said: “It's great for the image of the sports city of Munich to be able to present this sports event, which has such international appeal. After the European Championships, it will be the second major sporting highlight this year. Anyone who follows the current NFL playoffs knows that an exciting spectacle awaits us.”

Andreas Jung, FC Bayern Munich Board Member for Marketing said: “Our state-of-the-art stadium was opened in 2005, providing one of the best atmospheres within sports. The 2022 NFL game will become our first-ever non-soccer event at the stadium, making this a landmark event. We look forward to hosting the NFL and welcoming American football fans.”

Mike Josef, Frankfurt Sports Councillor said: “Having NFL games at two venues is ideal. It shows that we as the city put a lot of effort into it and delivered, together with Eintracht Frankfurt and many supporters, a good overall concept. This gives us the opportunity to enable more fans to enjoy an NFL game after our stadium extension in 2023. The stadium will be broadcast around the world and presented to an audience of millions. The event will be a tremendous asset, not only for sports, but for our hotels, hospitality and retail in the city. Particularly in the current times, this is an important signal to all sectors of the economy in the city and the region. This strengthens the reputation of Frankfurt as a sports-city and delivers another success story for the many football fans in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region.”

Patrik Meyer, Managing Director, Eintracht Frankfurt said: “As well as our glorious home team, Eintracht Frankfurt, this stadium has seen a lot of amazing events. But with the NFL coming to town we are really taking it to the next level. We are absolutely excited about NFL games coming to Frankfurt.”

David Knower, Frankfurt Galaxy/Advisory Board of the European League of Football: “As an American in Germany I am thrilled the NFL has chosen to play games here. We love the old days of the NFL Europe. We are very excited by the Frankfurt Galaxy here now, but the ultimate prize is an NFL game in Germany and in Frankfurt.”

Those wishing to register their interest in attending and receiving further information about the first NFL regular-season game in Munich should visit: www.nfl.com/munich  

[Source: Super League Triathlon] Super League Triathlon has announced its biggest ever Championship Series with the sport’s brightest stars to race in four thrilling events at major destinations around the world.

Super League will move into major cities for the first time with stops in London, Munich and Malibu, as well as a return to Jersey. 

Reigning Super League champions Vincent Luis and Katie Zaferes will be back to defend their Championship Series crowns, and will compete against the cream of short course triathlon talent such as Georgia Taylor-Brown, Jonathan Brownlee, Beth Potter and Kristian Blummenfelt.

The four events will take place on back-to-back weekends throughout September, providing audiences with a compelling calendar that delivers greater engagement and a more exciting race Series.

Super League Triathlon’s 2021 Championship Series race calendar is:

• September 5: London, UK
• September 12: Munich, Germany
• September 18: Jersey, Channel Islands
• September 25: Malibu, USA

There will be 20 female and 20 male athletes competing at each event on a single day of racing over Super League’s exciting formats. As well as the athletes contracted across the Series, the start list for each event will include a small allocation of Wildcard slots to be filled nearer the time.

Racing in London will take place at West India Quay, at the Olympiapark in Munich and at Zuma Beach as part of the Malibu Triathlon, with Jersey’s event set to feature at St Helier for the fourth time. Individual event details and announcements around global broadcast deals will be made in the coming months.

Super League Triathlon CEO, Michael D’hulst, said: “This is a very significant and exciting day, not just for Super League but triathlon as a whole. Super League Triathlon’s 2021 Championship Series brings us closer to where the fans are and this is what we are about – making triathlon a spectator sport.

“To be able to deliver a Championship Series in a condensed time period in the calendar straight after the Olympics and to follow our strategic ambitions to visit major cities in key markets has been a goal we have been working towards since Super League was established just four years ago. Our first Championship Series events in the UK, Germany and the USA are significant milestones.

“Securing the best athletes in the world to race across the Series as we build on the success of the SLT Arena Games to host outdoor events again in iconic locations will help to elevate our sport.”

Multiple Super League Triathlon winner Vincent Luis said: “First of all, it is amazing that we can race and Super League puts such effort into us racing.

Jersey is my favourite venue of all time, and I look forward to seeing what London, Munich and Malibu have to offer. In these kinds of races, you enjoy from the start to the finish. It will be a really good build-up to the Olympics and then Super League to enjoy with four races in a row. I can’t wait. Putting the race tyres on the bike, getting the race suits ready… it’s just around the corner.”

For more information visit https://superleaguetriathlon.com/

[Source: European Championships Management] The EC2022 Board is pleased to announce that Munich will host the 2022 European Championships following unanimous approval of their bid by the participating European Federations.

Munich 2022 will also mark the 50th anniversary of the Olympic Games held in the German city, with the iconic Munich Olympic Park set to be the heart of the second edition of the multi-sport championships. 

Six sports that were part of the 2018 edition have already confirmed their participation and the staging of their respective continental championships in the event that will take place Thursday 11 to Sunday 21 August 2022: Athletics, Cycling, Golf, Gymnastics, Rowing and Triathlon.  

Eurovision Sport, a division of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), will again be the media rights partner for the Championships, ensuring extensive free-to-air coverage through EBU Member broadcasters and partners.  

The majority of events and activities will take place in and around the Munich Olympic Park in order to create an extraordinary festival atmosphere that allows athletes from different sports to experience the event together and visitors to embrace multiple events.   

The EC2022 Board is also pleased to confirm the dates of the 2026 edition of the European Championships. Following consultation involving the participating European Federations (European Athletics, UEC, FISA, UEG, ETU, ET-LET), the dates are: Thursday 30 July to Sunday 9 August 2026. 

European Championships 2022 Board Chair and European Athletics President Svein Arne Hanfsen said: "I speak for all the participating sports in saying how delighted we are to be going to the wonderful city of Munich in 2022, and for athletics we are especially happy to be heading back to Germany, after the success of Berlin 2018, where we know there are so many passionate sports fans. It is testament to the fantastic legacy of the Munich Olympic Park that we will bring our individual European Championships together again there, on the 50th anniversary of the Olympic Games, and use many of its iconic venues. 

"We are very pleased to partner again with Eurovision Sport, meaning that millions of sports fans will be able to experience the unique excitement of the European Championships 2022, via free-to-air broadcasters."  

The inaugural European Championships in 2018 took place through 2-12 August, with Glasgow and Berlin successfully staging seven European Championships with 13 disciplines.  

A television audience of more than 1.4 billion watched this memorable first edition on free-to-air channels via EBU Member broadcasters and partners in 44 territories across Europe and worldwide. There were 1.9 billion visits on websites registered and the reach on social media was 745 million. 

Across the two host cities, a total of one million people attended a sports session at the likes of Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, watched a road race on the cities’ streets, or experienced the festival-like atmospheres in George Square in Glasgow and the Breitscheidplatz in Berlin.   

Hear Stefan Kuerten, Executive Director of Eurovision Sport, discuss the challenges and achievements of developing the European Championships at Host City 2019 in Glasgow on 26-27 November