Bayern Munich Frauen and Tigres UANL Femenil form a club partnership

Women’s football is a fast-growing sport. If last summer’s European Championships and the home crowd at Bayern Munich’s Champions League win over FC Barcelona were any indication, passion for the German game is in no small supply.

From a marketing perspective, the iron is hot. And FC Bayern have struck up a “multi-year” partnership with Liga MX’s Club Tigres UANL Femenil, per FCBayern.com. It’s part of a global strategy that includes expanding reach in Central and Latin America.

“FC Bayern has a large fan base in Mexico, and Latin America is an important market for us,” the club website quotes Andreas Jung, Bayern’s head of marketing. “We are working to increase our presence in this region. Tigres UANL Feminil is one of the leading clubs in women’s football there and we look forward to bringing this partnership to life.”

FC Bayern Frauen sporting director Bianca Rech weighed in as well. “The development of women’s football in Mexico is a great success story and it’s far from over. With Tigres Femenil, we have gained an ambitious partner in this exciting growth area who is a perfect fit for FC Bayern. We share the same passion and have the same ambitions in and for women’s football and we’re really looking forward to future projects together.”

It won’t merely be about cross-promotion. Included in the terms of the deal will be an exchange program: “three players and coaches” from the Mexican side to train with the Bayern women’s team every year, offering opportunities to exchange footballing ideas and philosophies — and forging personal connections across the continents.

The clubs have already played a friendly this month, with Tigres triumphing 1-0 over the Bavarians in a match attended by nearly 35,000. The full game is available on YouTube, too:

Tigres are no strangers to winning. The Liga MX Femenil was only formed in December of 2016; Tigres are five-time winners (each season consists of two separate tournaments, the Apertura and the Clausura).

“We are proud to announce this partnership with FC Bayern Frauen. Together we want to make a difference and create unique experiences for our players. FC Bayern is a big global brand and we look forward to promoting Tigres Femenil beyond the Americas,” said Mauricio Culebro, Tigres president.

The Frauen are back in action for the Frauen-Bundesliga on February 5 against Potsdam.