Table Tennis Superstar โคIgnites Fan โFrenzy in German Club Football
- FCโ Saarbrรผcken,a club with a โขhistoryโค in the bundesliga (including a โstint with coach Peter Neururer and USโค striker Eric Wynalda in the โ1992/93 season) and currently competing in Germany’s 3rd division,is experiencingโค an unprecedented surge in popularity thanks to the arrival of Olympic champion Fan Zhendong. The โChinese table tennis star, a former world number one and two-timeโฃ world champion, โขhas sparked a wave of excitement, particularlyโค amongst his vast fanbase in China.
The announcement of โFan’s signingโค on May 31st dramatically altered theโฃ club’s attendance figures. Where home games typically drew around 500 spectators, the firstโ matches in the Joachim Deckarm-Halle โwere wholly soldโ out, accommodating 1880 fans. Team manager Nicolas Barrois notes they could haveโ easilyโข doubledโ that number, prompting the construction of an additionalโ grandstand. Larger events are now planned for the saarlandhalle, which holds 3500 fans, includingโ a December 21stโข match against Borussia Dรผsseldorf.
Theโฃ impact extendsโข beyond game day โขattendance. Season ticket โsales have skyrocketed from a typical 20-50 to a remarkable 500 within just two days, with 90-95% of those purchased by Chinese fans. Fan’s celebrity status necessitates police protection, and his โsupportersโข are seizing the possibility to see him compete inโ a smaller German venue. Interestingly, many Chinese fans with season tickets onlyโค attend one orโข two games, justifying the expense – includingโข a โฌ3000 flight – to guarantee a sighting of their idol. To combat empty seats,the club has implemented โa resale platform for tickets.
Fan Zhendong boasts sevenโ million followersโ on the Chineseโค social media platform weibo, and 1. FC Saarbrรผcken’s subscriber count on the platform hasโ exploded โfrom 10,000 to 280,000 since the signing.
Securing โFan’s services required a proactive approach. After learning of hisโค potential interest in playing in Germany, the club leveraged itsโค contacts to communicate directly โคwith the athlete, utilizing โฃEnglish and translation software when necessary. Barrois negotiated with Fan while simultaneously gaining approval from the club โคto proceed with the signing, carefully calculating the โpotential revenue from ticket sales, sponsorships, and merchandise. Existing sponsors were eager about supporting โฃthe initiative.
While top โtable tennis players command six-figure salaries, and leading clubs โoperate on budgets up to โฌ1 million, the investment is notable even for theโฃ reigning Championsโ League winner. Fan is expected to participate in approximately 15 โขmatches across the โBundesliga,โ Champions League, and โCup competitions,โข beginning with the second half of the season in November. He has signed โa one-year contract.
Fan โขdivides his time between Germany and โChina, residing in โฃGermany duringโ blocks of multiple games and returning to China for appearances and commitments. While he doesn’t have a personal bodyguard, security personnel are present at home matches.
English serves as the team’s primary โขlanguage, but the club benefits from the presence of coach Wang Zhi, a native Chineseโค speaker who has been with the clubโข asโ 2014, providing Fan with โขa โconnection to home within โคSaarland.
(Originallyโข published in Sport Bild, as part โof the sports competence center -โข Welt, Sport Bild, Bild.)