The ninth international FC Bayern Youth Cup started in Nigeria at the end of January. It’s the third time it has been staged in the West African country with the local qualifying rounds staged in 14 cities in November and December last year. Over 7,000 teenagers took part in the various qualifying tournaments. Our FC Bayern ambassador Giovane Elber attended the national final at the end of January – his first ever visit to Nigeria.
Finals on 25 and 26 January in Lagos
Before the finals of the FC Bayern Youth Cups were played in Lagos on 25 and 26 January, Elber had already completed a large number of media events and visited a TV studio in Abuja. There was also a training session including working with coaches from the regional football association in Abuja on the agenda of our former exceptional striker. He then headed for Lagos. His arrival was eagerly awaited by the youngsters.
Unforgettable memories and experiences
Giovane also brought the Meisterschale with him so that the young players and all other people visiting the tournament were able to have their photo taken with our FC Bayern legend. The ten best players were selected at the end of the day and chosen as representatives of their country for the finals in Germany. As usual, not only the players taking part were able to get up close to FC Bayern but also fans and fan clubs had the chance to gather some unforgettable memories and experiences.
Set-up of the FC Bayern Youth Cup
The FC Bayern Youth Cup is the oldest and biggest youth football tournament in the world organised by a football club: Over 100,000 children and teenagers from all over the world have taken part to date. The German record champions are planning national competitions in China, USA, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Togo, Austria and Germany this year.
The local qualifying rounds lead up to a big national final (‘FC Bayern National Final’). The ten most talented players (boys aged 14 to 16) were selected by the FC Bayern coaches to represent their country at the FC Bayern Youth Cup World Final in Munich. The World Final is held every year at the Allianz Arena the day after the last FC Bayern Bundesliga home game.
Information on the last FC Bayern Youth Cup World Final in May 2019 is here:
The national teams arrive a few days earlier to take part in a four to five-day training camp at Säbener Straße working with FC Bayern youth coaches. In addition, the players from all over the world will be able to enjoy a comprehensive range of fringe events in Munich. They will meet FC Bayern players, go sightseeing in Munich, watch the last FC Bayern home game of the season and take part in the FC Bayern Youth Cup World Final on the Allianz Arena pitch.
FC Bayern coaches in the USA
In addition to Nigeria, FC Bayern were on the road in America at the start of the year. At the start of January, Thomas Döllner, international youth coach FC Bayern, went to Palm Desert (California) to look after the FC Bayern Junior Showcase on 11 and 12 January. A total of 110 teams from U8s to U14s took part in the tournament. Finally, our coach went to two clubs in the state of California. These clubs are part of our longstanding grassroots partnership in North America. The USA visit ended with training sessions for boys and girls in different age groups.