Oliver Bierhoff, Director of National Football & Academy, with a ‘Peloton Bike’. (Photo courtesy: Philipp Reinhard / DFB)
The German Football Association’s (DFB) academy and technology company Peloton will begin cooperation immediately. The partnership focuses on fitness innovation and will last for two years initially, benefitting the men’s, women’s and U-21s national sides.
The company developed the ‘Peloton Bike’, which will be used in the future in areas such as regeneration and fitness training. The DFB academy and Peloton will also work together on football-related technologies and further training innovations. It also offers Peloton members the opportunity to virtually compare themselves with the national players.
Oliver Bierhoff, director of national football and the academy, says: “We’re really pleased and proud to have an international, fast-growing company as partner for our academy. I’ve already tried out a live ride with Peloton and I was impressed by how brilliant and challenging the training was. We’re building lots of strong partnerships for our academy so that we can further develop football together. We’re starting exciting projects with Peloton that the whole football family will use.”
Tobias Haupt, leader of the DFB academy, says: “We’re really looking forward to working with Peloton; we’re going to break new ground in fitness innovation with them. The coming season will be very challenging due to the packed schedule, particularly for the players. That’s why we’ve produced a regeneration plan early, and we’ll be in regular contact with the clubs to develop it further. We’ve found an international partner in Peloton that’s leading the way in fitness innovation and has built up a large digital community in a short period of time. With their help, the DFB academy is strengthening its position as a centre for innovation in football.”
Martin Richter, Peloton country manager Germany, says: “In the last few months, we’ve worked on shared ideas about training with the DFB academy which are new for both football teams as well as fitness enthusiasts. Peloton offers everything that the DFB wants: communal, virtual training; interactivity; and various aspects of performance tracking. Peloton also offers a variety of disciplines, from cardio and strength training to yoga and stretching. We’re really happy that Peloton members worldwide will be able to train with a community of talented sportsmen and women and their coaches.”
(DFB)