Discover Airlines and Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter into marketing partnership

Discover Airlines, the Lufthansa Group’s leisure airline, and the American football team Tampa Bay Buccaneers have announced a multi-year marketing partnership for the start of the 2024/25 NFL season. The aim of the cooperation is to strengthen the presence of both brands in their respective core markets through joint marketing and communication activities as well as events and raffles for flight and game tickets.

The partnership was officially sealed on Monday evening at Tampa International Airport. Bernd Bauer, CEO of Discover Airlines, and Bryan Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, signed the contract during a celebratory ceremony. Germany is an important international growth market for the Buccaneers with a constantly growing fan base. The NFL is planning more games in Germany in the coming years to further increase the popularity of American football.

Discover Airlines offers the only connection from Germany to Tampa Bay from Frankfurt and operates a total of 20 weekly flights to Florida. From summer 2025, the offer will be expanded to include three weekly flights to Orlando from Munich. This will enable fans to experience the Buccaneers games live at Raymond James Stadium.

Bernd Bauer explained: “Sport connects people and creates experiences that are remembered for a long time. We look forward to welcoming many fans on board and bringing them directly to these unique sporting events.” Bryan Glazer added: “This partnership will help to further build connections with German fans and generate additional interest in Tampa Bay as a holiday destination.”

The cooperation underlines the efforts of both parties to expand their international reach and reach new target groups. The NFL has been expanding its international activities for several years, including regular season games outside the USA, in order to promote the sport globally.