President Herbert Hainer: Embolden, overcome barriers

Just before kick-off at FC Bayern's home match against FC Augsburg, a special premiere took place. From now on, the first team players of the German record champions will sign their names when the line-up in is announced in the stadium. This change seeks to include people with hearing disabilities even more. The signs were developed by the "Red Deaf FC Bayern Fan Club". Before kick-off, president Herbert Hainer presented the fan club’s chairwoman Martina Bechtold as well as "Red Deaf" members Stefan Kösters, Markus "Micky" Meincke, Markus Posset and Anton Meier (Rudolf Schwarz could not be present at the Allianz Arena) with FC Bayern jerseys featuring their respective favourite players as a thank you on the pitch. The fan club members all opted for the Champions League kit – and thus painted a hopeful picture: always keeping the highest goals in sight.

From within the club

It is important that FC Bayern is committed to inclusion, said Hainer: "Because a football club and sport in general brings people together. No one should feel excluded. We at FC Bayern are one big family – and people with a disability are of course also part of this community." The club is "very proud that we were able to implement this project – for our players it is great as well, by the way – and we would like to say a big thank you to the Red Deaf fan club: I think it's great that these signs were developed by our fans, from within the club, so to speak – this represents the family-like togetherness that characterises FC Bayern." The players’ wishes he said, are "that the hearing people among us also memorise the signs, because we want to encourage people to come together and overcome barriers that are often stuck in their heads, even though they shouldn't exist. We have great fans – and I think it's great how everything and everyone is growing together even more."

Martina Bechtold said the many months she spent mulling over the final rendition of the signs with the others had been a very enjoyable time: "We are proud to be part of the FC Bayern family. This project is a great sign of how much 'Mia san Mia' is truly lived out – everyone can feel at home at this club. We are very happy that we were able to realise this project."