The meeting was actually over after two hours, but the fan dialogue working group (AKFD) only took note of this in passing. The discussions simply continued. Fans and club representatives stood together in groups. It was an afternoon of open exchange in the fan dialogue working group (AKFD), in which everyone was treated equally – even beyond the official part of the meeting.
Twenty-six fan representatives met in a foyer of the Allianz Arena on Saturday before the home match against RB Leipzig for the regular AKFD meeting with FC Bayern representatives. An unusually wide range of topics were to be discussed, including complex issues such as pyrotechnics. Right at the beginning, Michael Diederich addressed the DFL's abandoned investor deal: "The process of a strategic partnership at the DFL may have come to an end, but the key questions relating to the future development of German professional football have not been answered," said FC Bayern's executive vice chairman. German football is losing more and more ground to its competitors in Europe. "And the problem remains: where will the money for the necessary investments come from?"
Kim Krämer, the club's disabled fans' officer, and Sibylle Hinrichsen from the FC Bayern Museum presented a social initiative of the club to the AKFD: the 'memory case' for people with dementia. The fan representatives were able to see for themselves what the case contains, as the contents were laid out: photos, club magazines, newspaper cuttings, autograph cards, a greeting card with the voice of Uli Hoeneß... It can be used to "break down walls, even if only for a few moments", said Krämer. And it works very well, as Krämer and Hinrichsen recently experienced during a visit to a social centre. "Suddenly memories popped up, experiences were recounted," reported Hinrichsen.
In total there are three 'memory cases', two of which are regularly sent out. "Demand has exceeded our expectations," revealed Krämer. Anyone interested can write to erinnerungskoffer@fcbayern.com. "It's a project that's very worthy of our support," Markus Meindl, head of fan and fan club support, told the fan representatives.
Oliver Meßthaler, FC Bayern's security officer, reported on the testing of a technical admission control system at the Allianz Arena. Metal detectors were used at selected stadium entrances at five home matches. This type of control offers many advantages over manual scanning: it is faster, less labour-intensive and more convenient for the fan. The feedback after the tests and also in the AKFD was extremely positive. Discussions with the security authorities will now follow. The new system could even be rolled out fully in time for the new season (2024/2025).
Another stadium-related topic was presented by Sabrina Salzweger from Club Nr. 12, who provided information about the AKFD registration system. Melanie Humann and Hans Gehrlein, the spokespersons for the AKFD, also explained how topics are identified within the committee. Then even Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of FC Bayern, joined the meeting – and the discussions continued for a long time.
The next scheduled meeting of the committee will take place in the summer break at the Paulaner Nockherberg.
In January, the fan club visits were once again an unforgettable day for the Bayern family:
