From Allgäu to Chiemgau, on to Middle Franconia and then the last stop for now, Lower Bavaria, before Upper Franconia, Upper Palatinate and Lower Franconia are on the itinerary in September. FC Bayern president Herbert Hainer has been tirelessly on the road in the Free State in recent days as part of the regional fan club meetings to visit supporters of the German record champion in their respective home regions. So far, he has met a total of 140 fan club representatives from 70 fan clubs, representing over 20,000 fan club members. “The fans are the basis of FC Bayern, without them our club would not be what it is,” said Hainer. “It’s therefore extremely important for me as president to know and find out what concerns them, what interests them, what questions and worries they have; what are we doing well, what do we need to optimise? I enjoyed the interesting conversations I had, from which I’ve taken a lot back to Säbener Straße.”
In recent months, FC Bayern has developed many new forms of dialogue in order to step up communication with its members and fans, as Hainer reiterated during the meetings. The many suggestions from the recent member workshops are also being taken up. During his fan club visits, it is of crucial importance to him to seek an exchange with the people on the ground who give everything for FC Bayern every day, said the president. “During these visits, it is always extraordinarily nice to feel how much FC Bayern means to the people and what effort they put into this passion," said Hainer. “We will never lose sight of that, and here we will always give something back.”
„During these visits, it is always extraordinarily nice to feel how much FC Bayern means to the people and what effort they put into this passion. We will never lose sight of that, and here we will always give something back.”
Herbert Hainer
The president was also constantly reminded of his own background during his visits: "I myself also come from a small club and know what moves people - the differences to a global club like FC Bayern are not that big," he said. "Ultimately it's always about experiencing something together, shaping it, making an impact. The team, the environment and the fans, they all belong together, and in the end that's what makes football this great experience that we all love."
During the fan club visits, after an introduction about the current developments at FC Bayern, Hainer answers the questions of the fan representatives present and discusses with them what concerns them, from the team's closeness to the fans, public training sessions and ticket allocation, to player salaries, youth development and corporate social responsibility. So far, the feedback from the fan club representatives has always been positive, with all of them appreciating the approachable president, who takes an honest stance on all topics. "I always learn a lot about our fans during my visits - and I take one thing back to Säbener Straße with me," Hainer concluded. "That we must never forget how much passion our fans have for FC Bayern.
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