When FC Bayern took to the pitch in Atlanta for the first time ever in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup quarter-finals, members of the ‘Mia san Atlanta’ fan club were overcome with one emotion: pure excitement. “We totally freaked out when we heard that Bayern was coming to our city for the first time,” says fan club co-founder Heather Cooke, speaking for hundreds of others. Many traveled from all over Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina for this special day. For the match, the fan block behind the goal was transformed into a special red and white heart. “It was like a family reunion,” says Heather's husband, “my phone almost exploded, so many old friends were calling to say they wanted to come.”
From eleven fans to a community
It all started ten years ago with a Facebook post. “It said: All you need for an official fan club is eleven people,” recalls Heather. “I just thought: We can do that!” And so “Mia san Atlanta” was born – with active support from Munich. “FC Bayern helped us every step of the way – logo, structure, everything. I was really impressed,” she says. The first get together featured five people and one tiny TV in a small bar. Today, there are more than 50 members, the fan club's website is up and running, the community is growing – and the big screen in the sports bar is a given.
From Lahm to Musiala: Love at first sight
Fan club president Chris Clute remembers exactly when he caught the Bayern bug: “It was 2006, at the start of the World Cup. I was a high school defender and saw Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger playing. I thought: Whatever team Lahm plays for, that's my team!” Since then, it's been FC Bayern. Heather's love of soccer also began at a World Cup – in Korea in 2002. Her husband got up in the middle of the night to watch Germany play. “I thought he was crazy. I had no interest in soccer – and then I saw Oliver Kahn. And just like that, I was hooked.”
A Bayern generation
Today, her son has been a Bayern fan since birth – “he didn't have much choice,” says Heather with a laugh. His biggest wish is to visit the Allianz Arena after graduating from high school. And he has his heroes too: “Michael Olise is going to be the best player in the world! And Bayern even has a basketball team – I think that's really cool.” Chris, on the other hand, raves about Musiala, Müller, and Neuer: “A keeper for decades, a club player through and through, a young star from the Campus – that's what Bayern is all about.”
Early start, with coffee instead of beer
If you're a Bayern Munich fan in Atlanta, you sometimes need strong nerves – and strong coffee. “We used to get up at night and hope that our game would be shown on Spanish TV,” recalls Chris. “Today? Bundesliga, Champions League – everything is streamable.” Match days have become more relaxed, with breakfast turning into a home game. “You drink your morning coffee instead of beer – but the emotions are the same.”
‘A club close to our hearts, always there for us’
What unites all members of “Mia san Atlanta” is the feeling of being part of something special – even though the Säbener Strasse HQ is thousands of miles away. “There are so many clubs, so many sports – but Bayern felt like home right away,” says Chris. Heather adds: “Everyone thought I was crazy when I started the fan club. But Bayern understood. They were just there. That's what connected us.”
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