Jamie Vardy Takes On New Role in German Football

Jamie Vardy has a new role in German football – and this time he is not on the pitch.

According to The Athletic’s German football correspondent Seb Stafford-Bloor, the former Leicester City and England striker is now a live rights holder for the Bundesliga and will begin his coverage with Bayern Munich vs Stuttgart later tonight.

Vardy is linking up with That’s Football, the channel fronted by Mark Goldbridge of The United Stand, to broadcast live watchalongs of Germany’s top flight. In a landscape dominated by Premier League content, the move drops one of English football’s most recognisable modern forwards straight into the heart of the Bundesliga’s push for attention in Britain and Ireland.

This is not a one-off curiosity. It fits a wider strategy from the Bundesliga: use big English football personalities – on the pitch in Vardy’s case, and online in Goldbridge’s – to drag new eyes towards German football and loosen the Premier League’s grip on the market.

Kevin Hatchard, one of the English-language commentators on the Bundesliga’s international feed, has already weighed in on the development, offering his thoughts on Vardy stepping into live watchalong hosting.

The Bundesliga has long sold itself on atmosphere, goals and storylines. Now it is adding a familiar Premier League face to the broadcast mix. The question is simple: will Vardy’s leap into live rights help Germany’s top division finally cut through on Premier League territory?