NFL show okay, DFB show not?
Oliver Bierhoff no longer understands football fans
November 10, 2023, 10:52 a.m
Former DFB manager Oliver Bierhoff returns to Frankfurt as an advisor to the New England Patriots. At second glance, the new job in football is less surprising than it initially seems. He no longer really understands the world of football fans. What they dislike there, they love in the NFL, he says.
The thought of shooting a ball through the Frankfurt football stadium still appeals to Oliver Bierhoff – even if it isn’t round but egg-shaped. “Unfortunately I won’t be called up to kick,” said the long-time managing director of the German Football Association (DFB) with a smile. At the New England Patriots’ NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday (3.30 p.m./RTL) But Bierhoff is “of course there” as an advisor to the Patriots.
Since mid-October, the 55-year-old has been supporting the six-time Super Bowl champion as a “business advisor” in developing the German-speaking market – “not a full-time, operational job,” as Bierhoff emphasized. The switch to football came as a surprise to many. Bierhoff’s connection to the NFL is of course nowhere near as deep as that to football, but it is not new. “I’ve been a football fan for over 15 years,” explained Bierhoff: “I’ve always been fascinated by American sport and the approach.”
Even during his time at the DFB, Bierhoff sought contact with US sports, visiting athletes at Duke University and making contacts with MLS club New England Revolution. When the German national team traveled to the US in October, Bierhoff stopped by with a delegation from the Bundesliga and deepened their connections.
What football can learn from football
Looking back at his DFB work, the jump behind the scenes of the well-oiled NFL marketing machine no longer seems so far-fetched at second glance. It’s no news that Bierhoff has always thought about business beyond the lawn. Not least of all, his marketing orientation and the resulting alienation of the DFB selection from the grassroots earned him criticism from the German public.
In football, “you have to keep your identity, but you can also learn a lot from each other,” said Bierhoff, referring to fan culture and show elements in football. In Germany, “many things are often critically excluded. When Helene Fischer plays during halftime, it’s a crisis. But at the same time, we really like American football and are happy about Rihanna or Beyoncé’s halftime show.”
The football hype in Germany is huge and the German market is now the second most important for the NFL. In the end, football remains “number one, without a doubt,” said Bierhoff – not only in Germany, but also for him personally. He made it clear that setting off for new shores was “not a turning away from football”: “Football will continue to be my great love.”