Taking responsibility with heart! For us, this is not only a desirable trait on the court. FC Bayern Basketball also takes responsibility off the court, for the community in its city and for the people in the Munich metropolitan area. Marko Pesic, managing director of FCBB, explains: “A project like HELPSIDE is important because our job is not only to delight people with basketball and results, but also to get involved in social causes and fulfill our social responsibility.”
Since 2019, FCBB has been bundling its social and community involvement under the title “FCBB Helpside.” Since then, and even before, wonderful partnerships and collaborations have been formed with organizations that are exemplary in their social and societal engagement in and around Munich. FC Bayern Basketball is proud to be part of this work through “FCBB Helpside” and to support this work wherever it can.
Why HELPSIDE?
In basketball, help-side defense is crucial: supporting teammates when they need help on defense – even the youngest talents at FCBB have internalized this.
With FCBB HELPSIDE, we are committed to helping those in society who urgently need assistance, to promoting inclusion, to supporting young talent in our city – and to ensuring a diverse and colorful Munich.
Because the entire team—from the office staff to the players and coaches to the entire FCBB family—is aware of its responsibility off the court as well. We want to support all those who need help or who would appreciate positive encouragement in their everyday lives.
OUR COOPERATION PROJECTS
OUTPATIENT CHILDREN'S HOSPICE MUNICH
Since February 2015, FCBB has been an official partner of the Munich Children's Hospice Foundation. Since 2004, this non-profit organization has been caring for seriously and terminally ill children, adolescents, and young adults and their families, as well as seriously ill parents with minors in their households. Currently, more than 900 patients in around 600 families throughout Bavaria are cared for in hospitals and at home from the time of diagnosis until after death. The need for support is growing year by year. The foundation's goal is to be a solid source of support for families during this stressful time and to provide moments of security, comfort, and normality. This is ensured by a large team of full-time professionals and volunteers.
DEIN MÜNCHEN
Since February 2019, FCBB has been supporting the objectives of DEIN MÜNCHEN as an official cooperation partner. The non-profit organization is committed to helping disadvantaged children and young people in Munich and provides sustainable, unbureaucratic, and free access to education, culture, and sports.
DEIN MÜNCHEN picks up where schools, parents, and municipal institutions reach their limits.
The aim is to integrate young people on the margins of society and involve them in a sustainable way. The associated learning and discovery of opportunities not only lead to personal development and an improved quality of life, but also to identification with society. All children should grow up feeling that the world is open to them and that they can achieve anything they set their minds to, regardless of their background.
Specifically, FCBB HELPSIDE gives children and young people the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes at FCBB, participate in workshops, and get involved themselves. This includes actively participating in the TV magazine format, including creating their own magazine video reports. In this context, they not only learn how to use a camera, but also the necessary interview techniques. The FCBB also regularly participates in the “No Limits” project.
SCHOOL WITHOUT RACISM – SCHOOL WITH COURAGE
Since May 2021, FCBB has been the proud sponsor of Therese-Giehse-Realschule in Unterschleißheim, which successfully applied for the title “School without Racism – School with Courage.” Through joint workshops and the mutual exchange of experiences, FCBB aims to exemplify and convey the values of tolerance, cosmopolitanism, and diversity to the students, while at the same time taking a clear stand against any form of racism.
AWARENESS WORKSHOPS
Since the 2025/26 season, regular awareness workshops on the topic of “anti-discrimination” have been held for FCBB employees in cooperation with Bobineau Consulting GmbH. One of the goals of these workshops is to teach employees to recognize unconscious thought patterns and actively counteract them in everyday life. The aim is to become aware of language, behavior, and structures that promote exclusion—and to develop the ability to take a stand at crucial moments. The cultural development within the organization also benefits from this format: targeted awareness-raising and reflection have created a shared team spirit for diversity. Where there may have been some uncertainty before, confidence can now grow to openly address challenging issues such as racist or sexist discrimination within the team.
With strategy and attitude on the court. Last but not least, the project also strengthens the club's inclusive branding. In times of growing social expectations, FC Bayern Basketball and Bobineau Consulting GmbH demonstrate that attitude is not just lip service, but lived responsibility—visible to partners, fans, and potential new talent. “Diversity is not just a social issue, but has long been a strategic one,” emphasizes Dr. Julien Bobineau. “Those who stand up for diversity and inclusion in the long term clearly gain in authenticity.” The FCBB management shares this view. For FCBB, these workshops are an integral part of a long-term strategy.
A basketball game can make hearts beat faster. A workshop on discrimination can open eyes. Both require team spirit, openness, and the courage to break new ground. Through their collaboration, FCBB and Bobineau Consulting GmbH are showing how this can be achieved with foresight. Because if you
want to promote diversity, you have to be prepared to regularly question yourself, listen, and take a stand—both on the court and in everyday life.
OUR INITIATIVES
HOW OUR YOUNG TALENT IS GETTING INVOLVED
FCBB youth team with the Nicolas May Foundation logo
HOW OUR PLAYERS GET INVOLVED
Visit to the children's hospital
Distraction from pain and worries in the children's hospital
Sign language for Bayern Munich basketball players
The Bayern basketball players are raising awareness of inclusion with individual gestures.
Sign language also for Bayern basketball players
HOW OUR OFFICE IS INVOLVED
Social Days
Since 2016, our team and employees have been regularly volunteering at selected Munich Food Bank distribution points to support the valuable work done there. This collaboration became particularly intense in spring 2020 during the first coronavirus lockdown, when FCBB players and employees helped out with food distribution on a daily basis, sending a strong message of solidarity and cohesion.
Starting in the 2025/26 season, we will continue to expand our corporate volunteering program. Together with Lets GmbH, we have created a platform where our employees can choose from various social projects and get involved in a targeted manner. In this way, we promote social cohesion and enable each individual to actively contribute to supporting disadvantaged people, strengthening our community, and promoting a diverse and colorful Munich.
Contact:
Andrea Dehaeck - andrea.dehaeck@fcbayern.com