Vietnamese players put talent to the test as “VFF and Bundesliga Youth Incubator Project Presented by Next Media” launched

The U17 Vietnamese national team joined the “VFF & Bundesliga Youth Incubator Project Presented by Next Media”.
Photo: Next Media
  • Exciting youth development programme begins in partnership with local media partner Next Media and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF)
  • U17 Vietnamese National Team will train and play against four Bundesliga youth teams
  • 5-week trip to Germany will be captured in a 11-episode content series
  • Earlier this week, the DFL, VFF and Vietnam Professional Football league signed a Memorandum of Understanding, pledging to work closely together in several areas

The future of Vietnamese football is arriving in Germany for the start of the “VFF & Bundesliga Youth Incubator Project Presented by Next Media”. The official U17 Vietnamese national team will train with and play against youth teams from four Bundesliga clubs, known for developing talents through their state-of-the-art youth academies.

As part of the five-week programme the young players, born between 2005-06, are spending time with the youth departments at Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, 1. FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach. The four Bundesliga clubs have worked together on a joint training syllabus, where each club will focus on one key phase of match play, such as the high-press and positioning when switching from attacking to defending. The project will not only focus on player development, but clubs will also share knowledge and youth development insights with the attending VFF coaches.

The entire team will also have the opportunity to watch Bundesliga matches live, experience the unrivalled atmosphere from these storied clubs, and learn from legendary Bundesliga players, all of whom made their name in the Bundesliga.

Journey of the team and players followed by broadcaster

Following the team’s trip, which officially concludes on 15 April, a small selection players will be chosen by Bundesliga clubs to remain in Germany, extending their programme for a further week with additional in-depth training. The team and players’ journey will be followed by Next Media and leading national broadcaster VTVcab, who plan to capture every moment in an 11-episode series, localised and broadcast in Vietnam.

The project was launched by Bundesliga International, a subsidiary of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, alongside the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and Next Media, the exclusive media partner in Vietnam. As well as the collaboration in providing Vietnamese football fans with the best of German football, the partnership goes beyond the TV screen and centres around the advancement and promotion of football in Vietnam, both at grassroots and at the professional level.

Memorandum of Understanding as basis for future growth of football throughout Vietnam

On Wednesday, the DFL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Vietnam VFF and the Vietnam Professional Football League (VPF), pledging to support the growth of football throughout Vietnam. The MoU focuses on three main areas of collaboration: improving technical and sporting expertise, advancing league and club structures, as well as developing the football fan basis and culture in Vietnam.

Bundesliga International CEO Robert Klein said: “The future of Vietnamese football is bright, and the results speak for themselves. From the women’s team qualifying for their first ever World Cup in 2023, to the men’s team who also made history this year by reaching the final qualification stages for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

We are proud to partner with Next Media and the VFF, to help create a foundation for long-term and sustained success in Vietnam.

Robert Klein, CEO Bundesliga International

“Over the next five weeks, the Youth Incubator Project will provide Vietnam’s young players with a truly unique opportunity to learn and develop from some of the best coaches in the world, with world class training and education facilities. We hope this will just be the start of the journey for these players, and they will help propel Vietnamese football to the next level in the coming years. But more than that, we are proud to partner with Next Media and the VFF, to help create a foundation for long-term and sustained success in Vietnam.”

VFF General Secretary Mr Le Hoai Anh said: “Recently, youth training has been one of the top priorities for the VFF. The current U17 players will be the next generation for U23/Olympic teams, as well as the future senior national team. The VFF believes this programme will be a great opportunity for players to experience the quality of football in Germany, participating in high-quality training and competitive fixtures, and therefore gaining invaluable experience not only for their football career and raising the bar for the standard of Vietnamese football.”

Next Media General Director Nguyen Trung Kien said: “Since signing with the Bundesliga, Next Media has developed a long-term strategy, together with the VFF and the DFL, to work together and raise the level of Vietnamese football. To accomplish this, we always focus on youth development, which is why creating this world-class training trip for the national U17 team in Germany was so important.

“Our goal is to find the next star player that can represent Vietnam in the Bundesliga”

“Next Media wishes to play an important part in the overall development strategy of Vietnamese football, so we always make efforts to exchange and cooperate with the Bundesliga, VFF and VPF – to organise seminars around important factors, such as training methods and youth football, for both men’s and women’s teams. Together, we are aiming for more success for Vietnamese football in the future. Our goal is to find the next star player that can represent Vietnam in the Bundesliga. I hope that Vietnam will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and latest for the Word Cup in 2030. With the extensive cooperation with the Bundesliga I believe we have a chance to achieve that!”

The Bundesliga and DFL Group have been a strong proponent of the advancement of youth football around the world, providing support, advice and engagement for leagues and federations looking to enhance their own player development.