BVB steps up Japan involvement, fans thrilled | OneFootball

After the official announcement of the partnership with Cerezo Osaka, Borussia Dortmund has sparked great enthusiasm among its fans.

Borussia Dortmund has officially expanded its collaboration with the Japanese first division club Cerezo Osaka into a club partnership. The BVB announced the agreement on Saturday morning (January 31) via its Instagram channel, striking a chord with the fans. Shortly after the announcement, the post garnered over 30,000 likes and around 100 predominantly positive comments.

The core of the partnership is the professionalization of youth development in Japan. Both clubs aim to further develop and benefit from each other's youth promotion structures and pathways. A central component of this is additional exchange programs, which include players, coaches, and entire teams in women's football. There has already been close cooperation in this area for about a year, which will now be significantly intensified.

The connection between the two clubs has also grown historically. The BVB women's team has long been working closely with the Cerezo Osaka Yanmar Ladies. There have also been recent interactions in the men's sector: During the Asia tour in the summer of 2024, Borussia Dortmund played a friendly match against the professional team from Osaka.

Shinji Kagawa connects BVB and Cerezo Osaka

For many BVB supporters, the partnership takes on a special emotional note through Shinji Kagawa. The former fan favorite wore the black and yellow jersey from 2010 to 2012 and from 2014 to 2019, played 216 official matches, and celebrated the double with the club in 2012. Today, the 36-year-old is once again under contract with his hometown club Cerezo Osaka and continues to enjoy cult status among Dortmund fans.

With the new partnership, BVB also underscores its strategic focus on the Asian market. For years, the club has been working specifically to expand its presence in Asia. In addition to the cooperation with Cerezo Osaka, this includes collaboration with the Japanese animation studio Toei Animation, which produces the globally successful series One Piece. The aim of these initiatives is to appeal primarily to younger target groups and to further strengthen the Borussia Dortmund brand internationally.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.