European giants bound for Brisbane in landmark sports deal

The Queensland government has signed a memorandum of understanding with one of the world’s biggest sports leagues to bring expertise – and big-ticket games – to the state.

The German Bundesliga is considered one of Europe’s “big five” football leagues, along with England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, and Ligue 1 in France.

Under the deal, the Bundesliga would hold training camps, assist grassroots clubs, provide pathways for young Australian players to professional German teams, and play high-profile exhibition matches leading up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tourism Minister Andrew Powell signed the MOU at Perry Park on Thursday morning, along with Tourism and Events Queensland chief executive Craig Davidson, Bundesliga Asia-Pacific head Kevin Sim, and Suresh Letchmanan, the Asia-Pacific managing director of Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.

It is understood talks are advanced for an exhibition match between Dortmund and cult club St Pauli – home to occasional Socceroos captain Jackson Irvine – to be held in Brisbane as early as next year.

“They know the world’s focus is going to be on Queensland for the next decade or more. When an organisation of that scale of world class wants to come to Queensland, there are going to be huge benefits for the state,” Powell said after inking the deal.

But although big-draw matches were on the cards for Brisbane, Sim said the Bundesliga’s interest in Australia went well beyond fly-in, fly-out marketing opportunities.

“It opens up Australia as a market, but that is not the only objective,” he said.

“Our goal is a long-term objective, where we can use football to connect Australia and Germany – bilateral relations, but also economic trade and tourism. We see it as a much more well-rounded, sustainable, long-term approach.”

But while La Liga and Serie A were considering playing matches for competition points on foreign soil, Sim said that would not be the Bundesliga’s approach.

“The Bundesliga does not believe that is the best way to develop local football,” he said.

“We’d much rather work together with local stakeholders – Football Australia, the A-League, for example – to develop the game on a slightly more sustainable basis than necessarily bring a league game.”

Scotsman Paul Lambert, who won the Champions League with Dortmund in 1997, still works for the club as a technical director and has visited Brisbane often, due the club’s formal links with Wynnum Wolves.

Lambert said bringing top-flight European expertise to grassroots clubs in Queensland had already benefited local players and coaches.

“I’ve been here just under the year now, and the difference has been huge for the club,” he said.

“The kids are getting better, and coaches are getting better. There’s a long process, and it’s really good to be here.”

Letchmanan said Dortmund’s link with Wynnum had opened the door to the Bundesliga MOU.

“Everyone thinks Australia is far away, but there have been great opportunities for us – on behalf of the league and as a club – to see what else we could do, not just here in Brisbane, but the whole of Australia.

“There’s a lot in our pipeline that we want to do, from coaching education to youth development to getting more black and yellow shirts in and around the sports shops here.

“Sustainability projects, grassroots football – you name it – we want to be involved. We’re not a fly-by-night club that we’re just going to come here, take the cheque, pack and leave Australia.

“We want to build something; we want to build momentum, build a sustainable model here, not just to leave a legacy for the club, but also for the youth, so they remember exactly what Dortmund is.”

Powell said that in addition to the Bundesliga MOU, the government and TEQ were in talks with Football Australia about hosting a Socceroos friendly match in the November FIFA window – a warm-up for next year’s World Cup in North America.

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