A day has 24 hours, in America as in Europe. However, time flew by very quickly on the Audi Summer Tour USA 2016. The Audi Football Summit against Real Madrid on Wednesday evening (local time) is the final friendly before the Bayern delegation return to Munich. No matter what the final scoreline will be in the heavyweight encounter between Bayern and Carlo Ancelotti's former club, the conclusion to the trip could hardly be better!
“We can be absolutely pleased with the Audi Summer Tour,” Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told numerous journalists at the team hotel: “It went outstandingly well.” In Chicago, Charlotte and New York City the FC Bayern chairman has seen “things I haven't seen before in this quality. If I were to assess the tour and compare it to previous trips in terms of quality, organisation and public reception I'd say: grade A+!”
Rummenigge was highly satisfied with the commitment the team and the coaching staff have displayed. “They were extremely professional. Of course the tour has been demanding, but our players and coaches have put up with it. You could see it once again: not only do we have a good team on the pitch, but also a very, very good one off the pitch.” The Bayern fans in the US rewarded this, turning the encounters with AC and Inter Milan into home matches. “It was a great experience.”
Wacker: 'Absolutely arrived in the US'
Jörg Wacker, FCB board director for internationalisation and strategy, called the US tour “very impressive. The tour is the highlight of our overall strategy and our philosophy of spreading our brand throughout the world. When our players come here, when the fans experience us up close and personal and we notice how much they desire to see our superstars in person: that's wonderful.”
The development over two years is clearly recognisable in comparison to the 2014 US tour, for example in terms of public reception, declared Wacker. There are more than 100 Bayern fan clubs in the States today compared to a mere nine in 2014. The German record champions have “become visible 365 days per year” in the US through the New York office, the media partnerships, the digital channels and the networks. Wacker concluded: “We've absolutely arrived in the US.”
Rummenigge concluded by expressing his appreciation. “I'd like to thank Jörg Wacker and Rudi Vidal, the director of our US office. It was the right decision to open the office two years ago. You can see that Rudi and his people do a very good job.” Rummenigge also emphasised the “very professional organisation” of the tour by club partner Audi. The FC Bayern chairman thanked the Honorary Consul who accompanied the Bayern delegation on their tour through the States. Thanks for having us, USA! We'll be back!
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