VfB Stuttgart and V-Varen Nagasaki Launch Strategic Youth Development Partnership Supported by Kärcher.

Roger Hampel

Pictured (from left to right): Matthias Borsamer (Head of International Sports Projects, VfB Stuttgart), Rouven Kasper (VfB Stuttgart’s Chief Marketing & Sales Officer), Takenori Tagawa (V-Varen Nagasaki CEO) and Takuya Takagi (V-Varen Nagasaki’s Club Relations Officer).

Photo Credit: Vfb Stuttgart

VfB Stuttgart has announced a new international partnership with V-Varen Nagasaki, a professional football club in Japan’s second division, aimed at fostering youth development and intercultural exchange. The collaboration was officially launched during the World Football Festival in Japan, where the two clubs’ U13 teams met in a symbolic opening fixture.

The initiative is backed by Kärcher, the global cleaning technology company based near Stuttgart, which maintains long-standing partnerships with both clubs.

Cross-Continental Youth Exchange and Coaching Collaboration VfB Stuttgart V-Varen Nagasaki

The agreement will see young players from V-Varen Nagasaki visit Stuttgart regularly to train within VfB’s youth academy environment, offering not only a footballing development opportunity but also an intercultural learning experience. Simultaneously, VfB youth coaches will conduct on-site workshops in Japan, promoting knowledge transfer in player development, coaching methodology, and academy structuring.

In addition, staff from both clubs will participate in reciprocal visits, providing insight into each club’s operational and sporting frameworks, and supporting deeper cooperation beyond the technical aspects.

A Platform for Talent Development and Soft Diplomacy

This partnership is more than a standard academy collaboration. It forms part of V-Varen Nagasaki’s PR(L)AY FOR PEACE initiative, which promotes peace through football by building international connections and cross-cultural understanding. VfB Stuttgart’s participation reflects a growing interest among European clubs in youth-focused soft diplomacy, using sport as a platform to develop global relations and talent pathways.

The relationship also reinforces VfB’s strategic positioning in East Asia, particularly after the club’s first trip to Japan in 30 years during the summer of 2024, which was viewed internally as a commercial and sporting success.

Club Executives Emphasize Shared Values

Rouven Kasper, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer at VfB Stuttgart, underscored the importance of long-term collaboration grounded in shared purpose:

“For VfB Stuttgart, entering into this partnership with Nagasaki is a great honour and the next big step for the club. Youth football is part of our club’s DNA and we’re committed to building intercultural bridges, developing top international talent and promoting cooperation between Japan and Germany through youth football.”

Takenori Tagawa, CEO of V-Varen Nagasaki, highlighted the opportunity to scale youth development and gain exposure to one of Germany’s most respected academies:

“VfB Stuttgart and its youth academy have an excellent reputation. This collaboration will enable young players from our first team to train in Stuttgart – something which has proved difficult to implement in the past. We’re very pleased that they understood our commitment to youth development and our vision for the future of V-Varen Nagasaki.”

Brand Involvement and Strategic Relevance

The involvement of Kärcher in brokering and supporting the collaboration adds a commercial dimension. As a brand active in both markets, its role in facilitating the partnership shows how corporate partners can bridge cross-border sporting initiatives with shared values in youth development and community engagement.

This partnership gives both clubs access to new talent markets, knowledge exchange, and brand-building opportunities within each other’s regions.