FC Bayern München and Tsinghua University in Beijing announce partnership

FC Bayern München is to become a strategical partner of the Tsinghua University Center for Development of Sports Industry (TUDSI) in Beijing, one of China’s most renowned universities. Tsinghua University established its Center for Development of Sports Industry (TUDSI), a proprietary faculty dedicated to sports management, in 2016. In the future, FC Bayern will exclusively assist in the expansion of this course of study, which is new and unique in China. Examples of components of the partnership include the assignment of guest lecturers, joint examination of case studies and a variety of events. Simultaneously, Rouven Kasper, Managing Director of FC Bayern Munich (Shanghai) Co., Ltd since its foundation in September 2016, will be appointed to the Supervisory Board of the elite university’s sports faculty.

“This partnership with the top university in China is both an honour and a commitment for FC Bayern,” said Jörg Wacker, FC Bayern München AG director of internationalisation and strategy. “FC Bayern enjoys an excellent reputation in China: as a football team, as a business but also as a partner with social responsibility. We’ll bring all of these elements into the development of the sports institute.  Our work with Tsinghua University underlines our commitment to long-term and sustainable activity in China.”

Yang Bin, vice-president of Tsinghua University, is looking forward to working together with the German record champions: “FC Bayern München is one of the most successful football clubs in the world with a huge number of national and international titles. What’s more, it is a world-famous club with a uniquely sustainable approach to management, which has helped FC Bayern achieve positive financial results in the last 26 years despite significant economic and sporting pressures. Together we will apply their experience in both theory and practice to further develop the sports industry in China and inspire it with modern ideas.”

With this unprecedented education collaboration, FC Bayern continues to expand its social commitment.  The partnership with Tsinghua University is the club’s second cooperation with an elite higher education institution in China. In December 2016, the ‘FC Bayern München Scholarship’ was awarded for the first time at Tongji University in Shanghai. Since August 2015 FC Bayern has also been working with Columbia University in New York, where the club’s US office has been based since August 2014.

This summer, Carlo Ancelotti’s team will again embark on an ‘Audi Summer Tour’ through China as part of their preparations for the 2017/18 season. Between 16 and 28 July, FC Bayern will play matches in Shanghai (against Arsenal) and in Shenzhen (against AC Milan), as well as two games in Singapore (against Chelsea and Inter Milan).