Go West - visiting the FCBTX fan club in Texas

Everything’s bigger in Texas, as they say in America. That includes the love of FC Bayern. A visit from our club magazine '51' to a huge watch party held by the FCBTX fan club in Fort Worth shows: FCB can count on their American fan base during the Club World Cup.

Fort Worth, Texas, was a centre of the cattle trade in the 19th century. Even today, rodeos are still held regularly in this city of over a million inhabitants. The ‘City of Cowboys and Culture’ also awards a kind of Wild West Oscar for the best films, books and songs about cowboys. So it's not every day that on a sunny April morning, a few men in lederhosen and traditional hats suddenly show up at the open-air bar Little Woodrow's. “What the heck is going on?”, one would murmur in the broad Texas drawl, the local dialect. Around 500 fans, members and friends of the FC Bayern fan club FCBTX in the US state of Texas have gathered to watch the big match between Bayern and Dortmund. “The biggest watch party outside the Allianz Arena” – that's how the club is promoting the event. Bright blue sky. 28 degrees. The game is being shown on a huge screen and on over 30 televisions. Almost everyone is wearing Bayern jerseys. Everyone has Bayern in their hearts!

Football is constantly gaining in popularity in the USA and catching up with American football, basketball, baseball and ice hockey. Major League Soccer has an average attendance of almost 25,000 and is drawing more and more attention thanks to stars such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Olivier Giroud. The 2026 World Cup is being held in America, Canada and Mexico. And as a dress rehearsal, the Club World Cup is taking place from mid-June this year.

“‘Mia san mia’ fits perfectly to us in Texas, it could be our own slogan,” says Justin Gardiner, who formed FCBTX in 2014 and still leads it as president. “We’re like the people in Bavaria – special but in a down-to-earth way. And we stick together!” The FCBTX members have come from six different cities today: Austin, Dallas, Houston, New Braunfels, Corpus Christi and Fort Worth.”

The Bayern family in Texas  

Der Klassiker kicks off at 11:30 local time. Munich and Texas are separated by a time difference of seven hours and around 8,500 kilometres. Paulaner has converted the open-air bar into a Bavarian beer garden. There are pretzels, bratwurst and German potato salad. Admission is officially from 10am, but at 9am there are already over 100 fans hanging around.

There’s a warm, family-like atmosphere: Gardiner welcomes all visitors with a big hug. “We’re a mix of different cultures, faiths, skin colours and age groups,” says the 38-year-old, “but we are all united by football. We are united by our love for Bayern! The people around us in the fan club have become an incredible family through Bayern.” The fan club maintains close contact with Munich and the club's New York office. “The atmosphere is great, people live and love FC Bayern, you can feel that immediately,” says Julia Willer, managing director of FC Bayern Munich LLC in New York, who flew in from the East Coast to Fort Worth especially for the occasion and brought a championship trophy with her, which glitters in the Texas sun. The fans are eager to take souvenir photos. Mascot Berni is also there, playing with the many children.

Gardiner is a financial adviser and father of two from Houston. “I’ve always been a big fan of football and baseball,” he tells. He visited the Allianz Arena while travelling in Europe in 2013 – a day that gave his life a new direction. “Bayern plays an extraordinary role in my life,” says Gardiner. “The club has given me more than any other sport has. Bayern showed me what it means to be a fan.” And Gardiner isn’t the only US sports fan who's had this awakening when visiting a football match in Europe, Africa or South America. At US stadiums it’s quieter, there are no tifos or chants in the stands, the atmosphere is more influenced by video screens than events on the pitch. The emotionality and historic culture of top football clubs like FC Bayern are something special.

Love of the club, love of life

Opposite the screen, a young couple sit on bar stools at a high table. Andrew Dutkievic and Hannah Sharp beam: “Without Bayern, without this fan club, we wouldn't have fallen in love and wouldn't be married now.” She is wearing a black Bayern jersey and Bayern-red lipstick. Around her neck is a Manuel Neuer scarf. He is wearing a red Thomas Müller shirt and sunglasses. “Of course we would love to go to the Club World Cup, but we’ll be in the process of finalising the purchase of our house at the time. That takes priority,” they both laugh. "We definitely want to watch the games in Houston at the 2026 World Cup, though. It would be great if Germany were playing there, of course. But we would also be happy to see one of the other Bayern internationals with his team there."

They married in 2024. As a surprise, Bayern sent them a video message from Alphonso Davies, as well as a shirt hand-signed by Neuer, Hannah’s favourite player. It was handed to them by Berni, who suddenly appeared at the wedding. “That was obviously crazy!” she recalls. “We wrote to FC Bayern telling them we were getting married, but we hadn’t heard anything until the wedding – and then this mad surprise came! That proves how special the club is and that we chose the right team.”

Their love began during the coronavirus pandemic: both wanted to visit a bar where the fan club watched the games together, but the doors were closed because of the virus. So there they stood – and got to know each other. “Numerous fans also came to our wedding,” Hannah adds. They are not planning to have children for the time being. “We have a dog, that's enough for us. But who knows what the future will bring.” Maybe a baby with a Bayern name? “Harry? Hmm. Jamal? Hmm. Manuel? Manuel Dutkievic? That doesn't sound bad.” They both laugh.

A big half-time show

In US sport, nothing is complete without a half-time show, which is why FCBTX came up with something. Elizabeth Beck, Fort Worth City Council member, takes the stage and declares 12 April 2025 the official ‘FC Bayern Munich Day’ in the city. Huge cheers! “The great thing about my job as a city councillor is that I get to recognise special people and groups,” says Beck. “The club has 400,000 members worldwide, and the fan club in Texas is one of the largest fan clubs. Over the past 11 years, this fan club has moved and delighted people. We want to honour that – congratulations!” There isn't even an FC Bayern ‘holiday’ in Munich.

All in red at the watch party? Well, almost all. In amongst it are two fans in Dortmund jerseys. When BVB go 1-0 up, the Bayern supporters nod in recognition of the two Black-and-Yellows. No feeling of hostility. When the Reds equalise, the fans jump out of their seats, chanting: “Hey, hey! Superbayern, Superbayern! Hey, hey!“ Justin high-fives rows of hands, grabs the microphone and shouts: “Raphaël!” And the crowd roar back: “Guerreiro!” Just like at the Allianz Arena, only with a Texan accent.

Shortly after that, Justin mingles with the fans again – and then suddenly runs back towards the big screen to celebrate Serge Gnabry’s goal in the same fashion. The mood is exuberant. Everyone sings again: “Hey, hey! Superbayern, Superbayern! Hey, hey!“ Two fans run through the crowd with their flags.

It’s a bit calmer at the table where Beth Brownlee and August Schumacher Lander are sitting, the two oldest members of the Texas fan club. She’s 75 years old, he's 72. They watched their first Bayern game in 2006 on a Germany trip. “In Bremen! Oliver Kahn had just been relegated to number two by Jens Lehmann in the national team. He was booed in the stadium, which we found unfair. Miro Klose scored a couple of goals for Bremen and then moved to Munich. That’s all stuck with us.”

It was in 2019 that their love for the club really caught fire. Both were at the Allianz Arena watching a match in the VIP Arena. “Then three young men in suits came and I said: ‘They must be players!’” explains August. He asked. The answer: if only! But one of them worked in the Bayern office in New York and showed them a video of a fan club watch party in Texas. Beth elaborates: “We live in Houston and then just went to the next event. We sneaked in all quiet and shy, but Justin came straight up to us and welcomed us with open arms.”

Another goal falls in Munich, unfortunately for Dortmund. 2-2. The two BVB fans celebrate hesitantly, alongside despondent FCB supporters. But the decision in the title race is only postponed.

The next generation of Reds

Beth frequently flies to Munich as a flight attendant. She often brings small Bayern gifts for Gardiner's children, Ezra (9) and Hudson (5). The fan club president's house is a small FC Bayern shrine, with signed and framed player jerseys. One of the match balls from the 2020 Champions League final is also displayed in a glass case. No wonder that the love for Bayern has been passed on to the next generation. “When my dad watches football on TV, I only watch for a moment at most,” says Ezra. But when Bayern play, it's different. Then he cheers along with his dad in front of the TV. His favourite player? “Manuel Neuer! The Wall!” What is the best thing about watching Bayern for him? His little eyes light up: “Spending time with my dad! And experiencing that great feeling when we watch with the fan club. Everyone is always so happy together.”

Before the start of the watch party, FCBTX have 536 official members. “There were some there who weren’t members yet and had indicated by email that they’re interested in joining,” reveals Gardiner. Ultimately FCBTX wants to keep growing. With this positive hunger and ambition, the Texans are a good fit for FCB – the upcoming World Cup and matches against Auckland, Boca Juniors and Benfica offer plenty of opportunities to gain new fan club members. Although for Gardiner, it’s not about numbers: he wants to enable others to enjoy what he does. “All of these events that we put on with the club create an experience that people will remember for a long time. That’s what sport is about. Togetherness, passion, unforgettable experiences. Simply ‘Mia san mia’!”

The final score of 2-2 is almost of secondary importance at the end. A great day of football is still celebrated at Little Woodrow's. Fan club members give Gardiner another beer shower from a wheat beer glass. Almost like being at a title celebration! The president is soaking wet and smells of beer. His son wrinkles his nose. But it was nice.

Photos: Nitashia Johnson