On Friday a delegation including Bavarian minister-president Horst Seehofer and the president of the Bavarian parliament, Barbara Stamm, visited the FC Bayern Football School in Qingdao.
The delegation of representatives from politics and finance has been travelling around China since 8 May. After stops in Peking and Jinan, the delegation finished their trip in Qingdao on the Chinese east coast where they visited the German-Chinese Ökopark, the site of the FC Bayern Football School.
The delegation was welcomed by Jörg Wacker, Bayern’s head of internationalisation & strategy and merchandising, Giovane Elber, FC Bayern ambassador, and Rouven Kasper, managing director of the FC Bayern office in Shanghai.
FC Bayern exhibition
After a hearty welcome from the FC Bayern School, it was onto the FC Bayern exhibition in the lobby where the minister-president learned about the different elements of the partnership and the joint goals for the future.
Jörg Wacker said: “We want to contribute to the development of football in Qingdao and the province of Shandong through the presence of experienced and long-serving FC Bayern youth coaches and our great experience in youth football.”
After that there was a brief tour through the main part of the exhibition which includes information on FC Bayern’s history and current players.
Youth training
On the pitch, there was a demonstration of youth football. As part of the training for the Chinese coaches, a training session with 20 youngsters was led by FCB coach Antonio Vatany. Horst Seehofer and the rest of the delegation experienced for themselves how FC Bayern is transmitting its youth policy in Qingdao.
A delighted Horst Seehofer thanked the Chinese youngsters and coaches for the training session and the brief insight. Then there was time for a group photo before the delegation began their journey back to Germany.
Elber on the road
Giovane Elber was already on his way to the Qingdao car show on Friday morning to lend his support to Audi as they launched the A3. This evening he’ll also attend a fan event in Qingdao. The former FCB striker will then fly to Shanghai on Saturday to enjoy an exclusive sightseeing tour with two fans. In the evening he’ll be following the Bundesliga match between Leipzig and Bayern live together with local fans and our regional partner Vöhringer. Of course there’ll be a little title celebration too.