FC Bayern donation to the Kinderschutzbund

What is a dream for many - watching TV with Jamal Musiala in your own living room or sitting on the terrace with Thomas Müller - has once again become a reality for a number of FC Bayern fans. And those who took the opportunity to bid for one of 25 life-size player cutouts from the FC Bayern Museum also did something positive. President Herbert Hainer and Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of the German champions, handed over a cheque for €13,500 to the Kinderschutzbund child protection organisation at the museum in the Allianz Arena. The money was raised through this year's auction of the player cutouts from the exhibition.

As is so often the case at FC Bayern, this campaign is about "more than just enthusiasm for football or collectors’ items", explained Dreesen in his welcoming address: "All of the proceeds this year will once again go to an organisation that does great things, the Deutscher Kinderschutzbund München (German Child Protection Association) in Munich." Hainer explained in his speech that the association has been specifically dedicated to the issue of child protection since 2015/2016, "and since 2023, the issue of child protection has also been anchored in FC Bayern's statutes and is therefore supported by our more than 400,000 members. With its child protection concept ‘Red line - protecting children and making them strong’, FC Bayern wants to offer the best possible protection for the children and young people entrusted to the club by their parents. We want to promote and further establish a culture of looking out for the protection and empowerment of children and young people."

As part of the cheque presentation in front of the fans who had bought the cutouts at auction, eV deputy managing director Kiki Hasenpusch, along with Ulrike Scheele, project manager of the ‘Nummer gegen Kummer’ (Number against sorrow) campaign, Christoph Böck, head of the ‘Ich kann auch anders’ (I can act differently) project, and Dr Alexander Frost from ‘Die Schmetterlinge - Briefkasten Projekt’ (The Butterflies - Mailbox Project) debated FC Bayern's child protection concept during a panel discussion: "All concepts and procedures are approved and supported directly by the executive board, and our deputy vice-president Walter Mennekes is the first point of contact here," she explained. The club now employs three full-time child protection officers who implement the child protection concept, which was revised again in 2024. "It's about being transparent and consistent and also acting as a deterrent for potential perpetrators," said Hasenpusch. "According to the motto ‘What concerns everyone can only be solved by everyone together’, there is an open invitation to everyone in the club - adults and young people alike - to actively participate in the topic of child protection. Our concept promotes respectful cooperation and provides for open communication in order to recognise and act on problematic situations at an early stage." The common goal is to create a trusting and safe environment for all young athletes at FC Bayern.

Commitment beyond the pitch is a labour of love

The club has appointed Joshua Kimmich and Andi Obst from FC Bayern Basketball as ambassadors, explained Hainer. "This is important to us in order to publicise the issue effectively, because FC Bayern has a special appeal and we also want to be a role model for other clubs in this area - beyond sport. Children are our future. That's anything but a cliché. And our future must be protected and made strong. Many thanks to everyone who gets involved." With the fundraising campaign, the museum is continuing a tradition "that is very important to us", explained Dreesen: "We were already able to support social institutions with the proceeds from the cutouts in 2020 and 2022, namely the Munich Children's Palliative Care Centre and the Bavarian Centre for Cancer Research." The CEO expressed his heartfelt thanks to all the buyers, "but especially to our guests today from the Kinderschutzbund: they do valuable work for children and families in our city every day - for those who need our support the most. I'm delighted that we can make their work a little more visible through this day - and in doing so set an example: Commitment beyond football is not a compulsory exercise for us at FC Bayern - but a labour of love."

The Kinderschutzbund has been there for families and children in Munich in crises and emergencies for over 50 years, explained Maria Beck, head of the Munich branch of the Kinderschutzbund: "We support families from the very beginning, with counselling and childcare and offer children a temporary home when they can no longer live at home. We work with professionals and families to find solutions when they need help and are committed to ensuring that all children find their place in society. We would like to thank FC Bayern for giving us the opportunity to present our work and thus become more visible to supporters and those seeking help." Alexandra Gaßmann, CSU city councillor for the state capital of Munich, added: "As a city councillor and mother of nine children, I know how important reliable support is for children and families. The Munich Kinderschützbund does outstanding, real-life work here - with passion, expertise and a deep understanding of the needs of families and children in our city. I'm very grateful for that. I would also like to pay tribute to FC Bayern, who are clearly taking this important issue seriously and are once again acting as a role model for other clubs."

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