VFF, VPF ink MoU with Deutsche Fußball Liga on developing football in Vietnam

Hanoi, (VNA) - The DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, organising body of Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Vietnamese Football Federation (VFF) and the Vietnam Professional Football League (VPF) to continue supporting the growth of football throughout Vietnam.

Representatives from the respective organisations, as well as Next Media, the media partner for the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 in Vietnam, met at the DFL’s headquarters in Frankfurt, as part of a trip to Germany.

Specifically, the MoU focuses on three main areas of collaboration: improving technical and sporting expertise in Vietnam, advancing league and club structures, as well as developing the football fan basis and culture in Vietnam. Over the course of the agreement, parties will share knowledge through meetings, training activities and fact-finding trips.

The DFL will work closely with its Vietnamese counterparts to provide support and guidance in a number of areas relating to sporting performance, such as player recruitment and elite analysis. In addition, the DFL will also offer its expertise on topics related to league and club management, media rights and product/content creation.

DFL CEO Donata Hopfen said: “For the DFL, internationalisation does not just mean the distribution of media rights. Our approach is to maintain strong relationships with leagues and associations around the globe – exchanging know how as well as ideas and working together to better understand what football means to fans in those countries. This is the foundation of our collaboration, and we look forward to the partnership with VFF and VPL.”

Next Media has been a key facilitator in the development of football in Vietnam. The DFL, and its subsidiary Bundesliga International, have already been working closely with Next Media, the VFF and the VPF, to share knowledge and best practice on a wide range of topics, including youth development, professionalisation of the league, and marketing strategies.

Tran Quoc Tuan - Acting President of VFF said: "We are delighted to be able to sign our cooperation with the Bundesliga, which is undoubtedly one of the best football leagues in the world.  Together with our mutual partner Next Media, the VFF and VPF will be able to gain valuable expertise from the DFL and accelerate the development and professionalisation of the domestic game in Vietnam. We see a broad range of opportunities to implement the best practices in our football administration, such as youth development and governance, which can help us improve across the entire football ecosystem. The reach includes not only our professional football teams, but also the national teams at all ages, as well as the Vietnamese national women's football, which has recently qualified for the first time for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023."

Tran Anh Tu - Chairman of VPF, said: "Having spent the last few days with executives and administrators from both the Bundesliga’s league and club offices, we can see why the Bundesliga is one of top leagues in Europe. There are many attributes and qualities that we greatly admire and would like the V-League to emulate; in particular the DFL’s sustainable approach and commitment towards youth development, economical stability and rigorous corporate governance provides a strong framework and potential role model for Vietnamese professional football to develop and flourish."

DFL, VFF and VPL, alongside their media partner Next Media, will hold a joint virtual press conference on March 18, 2022 at 8:30am CET to talk more about the agreement, as well as to launch the first activations specifically mentioned in the MoU./.