38 EU BUSINESS NEWS / German Business Awards 2021 Sep21963 Best American Football Equipment &Merchandise Platform 2021 Established in 2015, Amfoo.de is an online store providing new and original American football merchandise, party products, equipment, books, and videos. We got in touchwith company owner, HolgerWeishaupt to learnmore about the company in light of its award success. American football is booming in Germany. Thanks to the NFL TV reports on ranNFL, more and more Germans are becoming interested in American football, whether they just love watching it or they play it, too. The Germans also have a thriving American football league of their own – American Football Bundesliga GFL (German Football League) and it is considered to be the best in Europe. An affiliate store for American football merchandise in Germany, Amfoo.de selects and recommends the best products for both players and fans in line with current trends. For players, it offers everything an American football player could need, including helmets, shoulder pads, gloves, shoes, jerseys, pants, various protectors, and functional clothing. The 32 NFL teams bring out new collections every year as well as special releases for occasions such as Super Bowl, also available for purchase via Amfoo.de, such as caps, jerseys, t-shirts, hoodies, and more. In addition to offering products for purchase, the website provides the latest American football news in the form of video and written content. Besides NFL and the leagues in Germany, Amfoo.de also covers leagues like CFL, WLAF, NFLE, FLE, XFL, USFL, and more. In combination with Amfoo.de’s affiliate network of Adcell and Shop.American-Football.com, teams can register directly as advertising partners for the first time in Germany. With the integration of advertising banners on their own team pages, they can earn 10% commission on sales. For clubs, this is a lucrative additional source of revenue at no cost to themselves. So, how did Amfoo.de come about in the first place? Company Managing Director, Holger Weishaupt has a passion for American football along with personal experience and expertise in the sport. He has been active in American football since the mid-80s as a player, manager, official and press spokesman, and he is very well connected. As a stadium announcer, Weishaupt moderated big games like the American Bowl, Euro Bowl, German Bowl, Austrian Bowl, and many other games in GFL. He authored the book “Alles über American Football” where he shares everything worth knowing about American football for beginners and professionals. Parallel to this, he has been active “in real life” in all facets of marketing on the client and agency side and he therefore knows the requirements for all parties involved – the fans, players, coaches, and store operators. He does his marketing agency work as Managing Director of his company, Ankerwerke GmbH. Established in 2010, it focuses on online and affiliate marketing, social media, and public relations, trade fairs, and events for different industries such as financial service providers, retail, driving schools, American football teams, and others. At Amfoo.de, Weishaupt describes his team’s culture as “characterised by trust and independence”. He says that his employees “must not see their work as just a job, but they must bring the appropriate enthusiasm for their work and enjoy what they do. This is the only way to win and keep customers and to be successful oneself.” With such ambition and passion among Weishaupt and his team, it’s easy to see a bright future ahead of Amfoo.de. Speaking about what is to come for the company, Weishaupt said, “We will expand the Amfoo.de portal even further, acquire further partnerships, and I want to surprise with ever new ideas.” Acknowledging the success of Amfoo.de, he said, “I would like to thank my three boys and my wife, who supported me right from the start of this American football project and believed in it. For me, it is a dream come true to combine my beloved sport, American football with my marketing know-how and to earn money from it.” Company: Amfoo.de Contact: Holger Weishaupt Email:
[email protected] Website: www.amfoo.de