Eintracht Frankfurt join forces with NFL team Carolina Panthers  | OneFootball

Eintracht Frankfurt and NFL team Carolina Panthers will work together in the future.

Eintracht Frankfurt and NFL team Carolina Panthers will work together in the future. Both clubs agreed to a non-exclusive partnership that includes knowledge exchange in a variety of areas that is expected to continuously develop over the coming months. As the host venue of at least two NFL games in the next two years, the Eintracht Frankfurt Stadium Incorporation will support the Panthers in hosting watch parties. For their part, Eintracht Frankfurt will use the partnership to gain further access to the US market. As such, watch parties of selected Eintracht games are planned in Charlotte with the support of the Panthers.

Carolina Panthers: one of four teams with NFL marketing rights for the German market

The club, based in Charlotte in the state of North Carolina, are intensifying their foreign marketing efforts and last year named Germany as their most important target market outside the USA. Last year the Panthers were one of four clubs to secure exclusive NFL marketing rights for the German market. Representatives of both clubs have visited each other on site over the last few months. Moreover, an event with over 500 football fans was held at Deutsche Bank Park during the NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants in October.

NFL watch parties in Frankfurt – more Bundesliga in North Carolina

Last Sunday, Kristi Coleman (team president of the Charlotte Panthers) and Patrik Meyer (managing director of the Eintracht Frankfurt Stadium Incorporation) unveiled the partnership in front of 60,000 fans at the stadium during the Panthers’ NFL game against the Denver Broncos.

“Germany plays a central role for us and is our most important target market outside the USA,” said Coleman. “This partnership with Eintracht Frankfurt is very valuable because we can support each other and learn from one another. As one of the biggest clubs in Europe, Eintracht are a great partner and we feel that both sides are very open and interested. Furthermore, we have already achieved the partnership’s first success before it was even officially sealed: our watch party in Frankfurt was a great success. We would like to repeat that as part of the Superbowl in February.”

“This dialogue with the Panthers will help us a great deal when it comes to staging the NFL games in Frankfurt,” said Meyer. “The openness of the clubs and the sharing of experiences is beneficial for both sides. In addition, we can make use of our experience of hosting football matches and concerts.”

Alongside the Panthers, MLS club Charlotte FC and the Bank of America Stadium also belong to The Tepper Group. Charlotte FC achieved considerable success in their maiden MLS (Major League Soccer) campaign, the Sky Blues laying down a marker by selling 20,000 season tickets in their first year. The good sporting infrastructure, ever-growing interest in football throughout the region and good local training opportunities mean Charlotte could play a role in the World Cup in 2026.

Axel Hellmann, CEO of Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG: “Football in the USA is currently enjoying a huge upswing. Charlotte are the best example of that. It’s important that we always take a holistic approach to the partnership with the Carolina Panthers as the NFL licence holder for Germany. In this case there are significant synergies with our stadium operating company, who want to be the best possible hosts for the NFL in Germany, as well as new access points for us in the US market, which will continue to gain importance in football, not least because of the World Cup in 2026. Moreover, networking Frankfurt as a financial centre with Charlotte, which is a financial hub and one of the most important financial centres in the USA, is particularly exciting for us.”