Of course everything tasted excellent. And the setting was also excellent. But it's not the Tuscan roast pork or the freshly tapped wheat beer that makes such events special. It's the palpable passion that comes together here: senior citizens, fan clubs, women, men, people with physical disabilities - all united by their love of FC Bayern. Countless anecdotes, memories and traditions flow into this exchange and give the fan dialogue working group (Arbeitskreis Fandialog, AKFD) a special strength.
The members of the AKFD met in Foyer E of the Allianz Arena on Sunday before the 3-0 win against Mainz to initiate the next stage together. The focus was on the comprehensive reform of the committee, with the aim of making FC Bayern's fan work even more structured, sustainable and collaborative. Because as different as perspectives may be, in the end everyone is united by the same concern, to actively support our club on its path into the future.
The meeting focused on what changes the members of the fan dialogue working group expect and how the club would like to work even more closely with its fans in future.
Structured further development for a strong future
Markus Meindl, director of fans and fan club support, emphasised the importance of consistent further development: “A big thank you to everyone for the constant cooperation of the fans, the many opinions and recommendations. The new concept has everything we need to integrate them into the Bayern world. Everyone can get involved. We are pooling our expertise.” Meindl emphasised in particular: “It's a shared path. After 18 years, we are continuing to develop the working group with a view to the future. There is no lack of motivation here.”
Alexander Groß then explained the details of the planned reform. In future, the working group will be divided into nine specialised areas: diversity, fan clubs and community, women's football, inclusion, senior citizens' issues, regional networking, stadium experience and atmosphere, ticket programmes, and representing the interests of children and teens. A specific requirements profile has been developed for each area, which will be used as the basis for the targeted selection and election of representatives.
Complex topics in particular, such as inclusion and accessibility or the complex requirements surrounding the stadium experience and atmosphere, will be tackled in an even more structured way in future. The diversity of the fan clubs will also be consciously taken into account in order to incorporate different perspectives and needs.
A new era of member retention with the Teens Club
Another topic at the meeting was the future of FC Bayern's youngest members. Joel Prosenbauer, who oversees the KIDS CLUB and TEENS CLUB, explained the innovations in the area of children and youth programmes.
Since the KIDS CLUB was founded in December 2010, FC Bayern has been accompanying its youngest fans aged 0 to 13 on their fan journey. The TEENS CLUB was created for all young people so that members can continue to actively participate in the club and take part in attractive programmes once they reach the age of 12.
The TEENS CLUB is the home for all members aged 14 to 17 and includes an attractive offering with age-appropriate benefits, communication and events. In addition to exclusive FC Bayern-related experiences, the teens also have the opportunity to actively participate in the club and socialise with members of the same age. The TEENS CLUB serves as a bridge to adult membership. From the 2025/26 season, members will automatically transfer to the TEENS CLUB when their KIDS CLUB membership ends.
FC Bayern already has more than 400,000 members, of which around 64,000 are children and teens - a clear sign of the importance of this commitment. Numerous events, such as visits to home matches, the Beckenbauer Cup or away trips - most recently with 40 members to Augsburg - bring membership to life and strengthen the emotional bond. Further offers and highlights are already being planned.
Inclusion as a permanent mission
Another focus of the meeting was the topic of inclusion. Alexander Grundler, who represents the interests of people with disabilities in the working group, emphasised how important this area is for FC Bayern and how hard work is being done to achieve further improvements despite all the milestones that have been reached.
“Inclusion is a huge, ongoing process,” explained Grundler. “We've already achieved a lot in recent years and are continuing to work on improving even more things.” Those responsible are particularly proud of the many measures already implemented, including special ticket offers, barrier-free areas in the Allianz Arena and the close cooperation with affected fans and institutions. At the same time, ideas are constantly being gathered in order to further develop existing offers and address new needs.
A successful day in the name of FC Bayern
„It is a common path. After 18 years, we are continuing to develop the working group with a view to the future. There is no lack of motivation here.”
Markus Meindl, director of fans and fan club support
At the end, in a relaxed atmosphere, people ate, laughed, discussed and exchanged many anecdotes. The bond that all participants feel with each other and with FC Bayern filled the room.
On this day, the focus was not only on reforms and concepts, but above all on living community and passion for the club. The next Bundesliga title is within reach, and the exchange between club and fans, which has a strong future ahead of it in the fan dialogue working group, remains just as close.
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