U.S. Forum in Philadelphia | OneFootball

Guests from the worlds of sport, finance and politics met at Subaru Park in Philadelphia for the “Sister cities on and off the pitch” event.

“I am delighted that you all took up our invitation,” said Axel Hellmann, CEO of Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG, before going on to thank the various “friends and colleagues from Philadelphia Union” for their support in organising the US Forum – a business event held ahead of the friendly that Eintracht were playing that evening against the MLS club. The US Forum at the Primepoint Club in the Subaru Park, Philadelphia was attended by representatives of both clubs as well as guests from the worlds of politics, finance and the sister cities from Pennsylvania and the heart of Europe respectively. “The aim during our ADIDAS U.S. TOUR was to build bridges and establish friendships. Looking back over the two weeks, I can safely say that we were very successful on both counts,” said Hellmann.

Ten years as sister cities

It was also the occasion to celebrate the fact that Frankfurt and Philadelphia have been sister cities for a decade now. The various guests discussed transatlantic relations, and also got to see a presentation delivered by Eintracht Frankfurt Friends of U.S..

Once he had opened proceedings with a word of welcome and introduction, Hellmann handed over to Kai Roemmelt (CEO Udacity) on behalf of the Eintracht Frankfurt Friends of U.S. This organisation seeks to establish valuable ties and friendships in the USA, as well as create beneficial and fruitful networks. “I grew up in the shadow of the Frankfurt Waldstadion and I bleed red, black and white. My sons refuse to wear any jersey other than an Eintracht one,” said Dallas resident Roemmelt, who went on to explain exactly what Eintracht Frankfurt means: “it’s a feeling that goes way beyond just football – it’s a deep sense of community”. Roemmelt was one of seven founding members of Eintracht Frankfurt Friends of U.S. present on Saturday afternoon.  David Knower (COO & General Manager; Cerberus Deutschland Beteiligungsberatung GmbH and also a founding member of Eintracht Frankfurt Friends of U.S.) has lived in Frankfurt since the 1980s and caught Eintracht fever right from the off. He took the guests on a brief journey through the footballing history of Eintracht and the Eagles’ past visits to the USA, the first of those coming back in the 1950s. “What you are doing,” the Boston native said to Hellmann, “is so much more than sport. It’s nurturing the friendship between Germany and the USA and helping us work together and find solutions – that is so important.”

A talk session was then held on the subject of “Sister cities on and off the pitch”, moderated by Alina Friedrich and featuring Hellmann, Eintracht board member for sport Markus Krösche and Ernst Tanner, sporting director of Philadelphia Union. They discussed themes such as developing the Eintracht Frankfurt brand in the USA, which Krösche described as “one of the most important markets”, as well as learning from one another, creating value from continued interactions, the importance of close ties and partnerships in the U.S. market, the Bundesliga’s media presence in the country, nurturing young talent and the development of football as a sport and the market that comes with it.