Bayern Munich planning a trip to China in 2015 for summer tour

Bayern Munich are focused on expanding the club's international profile, and they're looking for summer tours to help do this. As you already know, the club is heading to the United States this summer for at least two games. The first is the match in Portland against the MLS All Stars, and the second is believed to be the long rumored match in New York. Well, one report says that Bayern is working on a trip to China in the summer of 2015.

Forbes has a nice article on Bayern's rise to power and how the club plans to continue building on the momentum generated in recent years. The office in New York City isn't the only place they're expanding. Bayern are also putting an office in China. The exact location isn't known yet. What better way to capitalize on being the top football club on Chinese social networks than visiting China for the first time since 2012?

The Forbes article has a lot of really good tidbits that I want to share.

The fourth most valuable soccer team in the world, Bayern Munich is truly a powerhouse among the sporting elite, growing revenue nearly 20% year-over-year to just under $600 million last season. Combining a fortress balance sheet (with no debt and $373 million in shareholders' equity) with a philosophy of grooming youngsters into superstars, the Bavarians have created an inimitable business model that offers massive upside. ... At $328 million, its commercial revenues are the highest of any soccer team out there with the exception of Paris Saint-Germain, which is effectively owned by the Qatari state.

This club's financials are just unbelievable. Yes, that is no debt. The Allianz Arena is completely paid off.

This, along with the performance of the German teams more generally, caught the attention of billionaire Rupert Murdoch, with his Sky Deutschland signing a new domestic TV deal that boosted league-wide revenues by a reported 54%. Last October, Murdoch moved in for the kill, inking a five-year international deal through 21st Century Fox that will take the Bundesliga's revenues from a meager $91 million up to a reported $150 million per season starting in 2015.

The deal with 21st Century Fox for the Bundesliga's international television rights will be for the 2015-16 season through the 2019-20 season. The new funds will boost the Bundesliga's overall money from television contracts very close to the $1 billion mark. While this is still dwarfed by the English Premier League's $2.6 billion and Serie A's $1.3 billion, it's a big increase over the previous money. Yes, Americans, that means we only have deal with GolTV for one more season!

The author ends his piece with something that bears repeating.

In what may seem like the darkest hour to fans and rivals alike, Bayern Munich has everything going for them: a solid team with a visionary manager, sound financial footing, a massive domestic market, and an untapped international opportunity. Humbled, if they can stay off the path of hubris, it's all there for the taking.