T he Bundesliga Legends Tour of the Americas

Student handout | Level B1+/B2 | Speaking, listening and vocabulary

1. Warm-up: Lehmann and football (7 min)

A. Three words. You know Jens Lehmann well as a footballer. Describe him in three words.

B. Talk about it. There are no wrong answers here. Just speak freely.

• What do you remember most about him as a goalkeeper?

• How would you describe his personality on and off the pitch?

• What makes a former footballer memorable, even after he has retired?

C. Think ahead. In the video, Lehmann isn’t playing football. He’s representing German football abroad.

• Why can a former player be useful for promoting a football league?

• What can a former player offer that a professional marketing team can’t?

Prediction. The video is about the Bundesliga’s Legends Tour of the Americas. What was the main purpose of the tour?

My prediction:

2. Vocabulary: five useful expressions (8 min)

Task 1. Can you work out the meaning from the context? Write your guess.

Task 2. Check your ideas. Match each expression with its meaning.

Task 3. Make it personal. Answer in full sentences.

• What German football club is trying to raise its profile internationally?

• Where do you think there is untapped potential for football?

• What kind of football TV coverage would go down well with German viewers?

3. First listening: the big picture (5 min)

Don’t worry about understanding every word. Just listen for the main ideas.

What are the three main things the video is about?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtIOYjLaFVQ

Was your prediction from the warm-up correct? ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No

4. Second listening: specific information (8 min)

Read the questions first. Then watch again and answer.

5. Language from the video (10 min)

A. as far as … goes

Complete the sentences with your own ideas.

As far as German football goes, ________________________________________________.

As far as international football goes, ____________________________________________.

As far as TV coverage goes, ________________________________________________.

B. not just … but also …

The trip was useful not just because ______________________________, but also because ______________________________.

Football is important not just for entertainment, but also ______________________________.

C. go down well (with somebody)

• What kind of football programme would go down well with German viewers?

• What kind of English lesson would go down well with you?

6. Discussion: football as a global business (10 min)

Develop your ideas. Give reasons and examples.

7. Final speaking task: Bundesliga marketing director (8 min)

Imagine you are responsible for expanding the Bundesliga in the United States. You have a limited budget and can choose only three strategies.

Explain your choices. Use these sentence starters:

• I’d choose…

• The main reason is…

• This could raise the Bundesliga’s profile because…

• There is untapped potential in…

• I think this would go down well with…

Now the budget. You have €10 million. How will you divide it?

8. Wrap-up (4 min)

Without looking back, what do these expressions mean?

Final question. After watching the video, do you think the Bundesliga’s decision to promote itself in the Americas was a worthwhile exercise? Why? Speak for 60 seconds.

Optional homework

Teacher’s guide

The Bundesliga Legends Tour of the Americas | 60 minutes | One-to-one, B1+/B2

Lesson at a glance

Before the lesson

• Watch the clip yourself and check the answer key against it. The key below is taken from your original plan, and the wording may differ slightly in the video.

• Make sure you can play the clip twice and pause it easily.

• Check current facts for Discussion Question 3. The video is several years old, so look up how the Bundesliga’s US broadcasting and football’s popularity in the US have developed since.

• Print Part 1 (the student handout). Keep Part 2 for yourself.

Stage notes

1. Warm-up (7 min)

• Start with what he already knows. Don’t correct every mistake; note interesting errors and useful vocabulary in the error log for later.

• Move towards the video: why is a former player useful for promoting a league? What can he offer that a marketing team can’t?

• Write his predictions about the tour’s purpose on the board so you can return to them after the first listening.

2. Pre-teaching vocabulary (8 min)

• Only five expressions, all from the video. Let him guess from the example sentences first, then confirm with the matching task.

• Task 3 gets the vocabulary into his mouth before he hears it.

3. First listening (5 min)

• Tell him not to worry about every word. Then elicit the three main ideas (see the key) and return to his prediction.

4. Second listening (8 min)

• Give him the questions before he watches. Pause after key answers if he needs it, then check together.

• With 9 questions and a 4-minute clip, this stage is tight. If he needs a third play, take the time from Section 5C.

5. Language from the video (10 min)

• Move from football knowledge to natural English. Elicit the meaning of each structure, then let him produce his own sentences.

• “What kind of English lesson would go down well with you?” is a natural chance to teach go down well with somebody.

6. Discussion (10 min)

• This is the challenging stage. Don’t turn it into a lecture; let him develop the ideas.

• For Question 3, encourage the phrases in the handout box rather than short yes/no answers.

7. Final speaking task (8 min)

• He chooses three strategies and justifies them using the sentence starters. Then challenge him with the €10 million budget split: this produces genuine spontaneous English.

8. Wrap-up (4 min)

• Go back to the five expressions without the handout. Finish with the 60-second answer to the final question.

• Optional: if shoot the breeze (to chat casually) comes up in the clip, add it as a bonus expression. It isn’t in the five target items.

Answer key

Section 2, Task 2: matching

1 → C 2 → B 3 → E 4 → D 5 → A

Section 3: three main things

• The Bundesliga’s expansion in North America.

• Lehmann’s visit to the US and Mexico.

• Promoting German football and connecting with international fans and media.

Section 4: specific information

Section 5: model answers

• As far as German football goes, the fan culture and stadium atmosphere are hard to beat.

• As far as international football goes, the Premier League has the biggest global audience.

• As far as TV coverage goes, viewers want more analysis and behind-the-scenes content.

• The trip was useful not just because he met journalists, but also because he could promote the league in person.

• Football is important not just for entertainment, but also for community and identity.

These are examples only. Accept any accurate, natural sentence.

Likely errors for a German speaker

Listen for these during the free-speaking stages and log them.

Error log

Use during the lesson, then review the best items in the wrap-up or next class.

If the lesson runs long or short

Running long: shorten the warm-up (skip the personality question); skip Section 5C; give only two discussion questions.

Running short: ask him to pitch his three strategies to a sceptical investor who pushes back; swap roles so you are the marketing director and he asks the questions; or extend the 60-second answer to a two-minute talk.

Homework criteria

Around 150 words; at least 4 expressions from the lesson; at least 2 specific ideas; one prediction about the future.