Eight-time German Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund will depart for an Asian Tour between 5 and 11 July 2015 that includes stops in Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. Highlights of the trip, supported by BVB’s main sponsor Evonik, include friendly matches against Japanese J-League club Kawasaki Frontale (7 July) and Malaysian champions Johor Southern Tigers (9 July), with both matches to be played in stadiums with a capacity of 30,000.

“In Japan we’ll be paying a visit to some old friends, people who’ve been keeping a close eye on Borussia Dortmund since the 1997 Club World Cup final in Tokyo and not just since Shinji Kagawa signed for the club. Current information suggests that approximately six million Japanese people have a strong interest in BVB,” said Borussia Dortmund’s Chief Executive Officer Hans-Joachim Watzke, before adding: “We’ve made it our goal to maintain close long-term ties to the people in the region and to learn from each other.”

One clear sign of this close proximity to Borussia Dortmund’s Asian fans is the BVB representative office in Singapore, which opened in October 2014. The office is led by Singaporean Suresh Letchmanan, who speaks Malay, a language widely spoken in the region, and Mandarin Chinese as well as English. Borussia Dortmund has also been ever-present in Japan for some time too, running the “Evonik Soccer School” and placing a full-time BVB coach in Tokyo. The club also has a Japanese website and a Japanese online shop available to its fans.

In Malaysia, the second stop of the club’s Asian Tour presented by Evonik, BVB is planning a youth-level cooperation with Johor Southern Tigers and will employ various methods, including a youth coach working on location, to spread its footballing philosophy.

The club’s first Asia trip since 2007 reflects BVB’s long-term internationalisation strategy. “The people in Asia want the chance to see the stars first-hand, and this is a wish that we would like to take into account. The Bundesliga’s presence in Asian TV markets is increasing. That, in turn, will help us to become better known and more visible,” emphasised Carsten Cramer, Borussia Dortmund’s Director for Sales, Marketing and Business Development.

Young Asian football fans in particular are already excited at the prospect of receiving a visit from Marco Reus, Mats Hummels, Shinji Kagawa and Co. “Among 18 to 23 year-olds, German football is booming thanks to its young, energetic players. We want to make these younger people into fans of our club,” added Cramer. For fans who followed BVB during the success of the 1990s, club legends and BVB ambassadors Karl-Heinz Riedle and Lars Ricken will be among the Black and Yellow contingent on the tour.