Many international clubs already use different sponsors on training and warm‑up gear, but in Germany, however, this potential remains largely unused.
When REWE expanded its existing partnership with Borussia Dortmund to include the official training wear for the 2025/26 season, the goals were clear: more everyday relevance, more visibility, more impact.
In this Success Story:
The challenge
REWE and Borussia Dortmund have been working together since 2009. With the expansion of the partnership in the summer of 2025, REWE was to be activated for the first time as BVB’s training wear partner - a sponsorship asset that had so far been barely established in the Bundesliga and whose strategic value first needed to be conveyed. The challenge was to clearly explain a completely new sponsorship tool, demonstrate its media impact using data, and show that training wear is much more than just an additional branding element: it is a data-driven growth opportunity with exceptional relevance to everyday life.
At the same time, the goal was to clearly articulate the shared values - proximity, reliability, and daily presence. The aim was to make it clear that the training wear aligns perfectly with REWE’s brand identity and represents a logical and credible extension of the company’s existing commitment.
The SPORTFIVE-approach
Media value meets brand strategy
In the 2025/2026 season, REWE moved up to become a ‘Champions Partner’ - making the logo prominently visible on BVB’s training wear. A logo placement that offers far more than pure presence: training apparel brings brands to life in everyday situations - independent of sporting results, yet full of real moments, emotions, and connection.
Training wear sponsorship enables brands to establish a true "always‑on" partnership. Visibility and storytelling are not limited to match days but form an everyday asset that can be leveraged continuously. It was therefore crucial to find a partner who credibly embodies these values and whose ethos aligns with the nature of this tool. With the guiding principle “Training makes the team strong and logistics makes retail strong”, it became clear: REWE authentically embodies the training wear partnership, because true success happens behind the scenes.
Whether on the training pitch, during transfer announcements, or in special fan moments - REWE integrates organically into the team’s storytelling and becomes a daily companion for consumers.
The partnership stands for unity, passion, and commitment — extending even beyond football.
Hanno Rieger, CEO of REWE Dortmund
The result
After just half a season, the strong impact of the new partnership became evident. The training wear turns REWE into a permanent companion of the BVB community: approachable, authentic, and unfiltered. The natural integration into the players’ everyday lives generates enormous reach and a high level of acceptance among consumers.
The daily touchpoints with a training wear partner are many times higher than those of matchday apparel. This amplifies the mere‑exposure effect — the psychological phenomenon in which people evaluate things, individuals, or brands more positively the more frequently they encounter them.
10,43 posts per day (on average across social media channels)*
1,55 Mio. contacts per day (on average across social media channels)*
*Source | number of posts and contacts: Athletia Sports 2025
Statement out of market research
“A sponsorship on the team’s official training apparel feels more exclusive and premium to me than other advertising spaces in the stadium.”
64% agreement rate nationally representative*
*Source | Market research: Sportifve (August 2025)
The training wear offers all of this
strong media KPIs
extraordinary social-media-performance
High acceptance and awareness
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In this case, two positively perceived brands come together — performance‑driven, dynamic, and close to the people because they play a role in the everyday lives of countless families and have a strong sense for the importance of local roots.
Carsten Cramer, Managing Director of Borussia Dortmund
