A legend with a special message: Hans Pflügler wore the famous number 9 on his back – and, like the rest of the team, the ‘Red against Racism’ logo on his chest. For the 1990 World Cup winner, it was a matter of honour when he was asked if he could play a little in the ‘Space for Everyone’ small-sided tournament in the Old Botanical Garden – it was a tournament with depth, made possible not least by a donation of 50,000 euros from FC Bayern Hilfe eV to make the area in the heart of Munich more accessible to the public. The German record champions will be involved in the city's project on a long-term basis through their exercise promotion programme in open spaces and for schools and daycare centres.
Donation from FC Bayern Hilfe eV for football pitch
At the tournament over the weekend, the FCB team led by world champion Pflügler competed against a selection of city council members and the Bellevue di Monaco cultural centre, among others. The football pitch, which was built thanks to a donation from FC Bayern Hilfe eV, was inaugurated two weeks earlier by honorary president Uli Hoeneß together with Munich's mayor Dieter Reiter, police president Thomas Hampel and the board of the Dominik Brunner Foundation. Hoeneß said it was important “that we at FC Bayern once again actively engage with Munich's urban society through this project – it's about attitude and commitment”. Hoeneß also sits on the board of FC Bayern Hilfe eV.
The exercise promotion programme for schools, in this case in collaboration with the Luisengymnasium, has the same goal as the Red against Racism initiative: to bring people together, revitalise public spaces and create access to sport and social interaction for everyone. “Especially in today's world, it is also increasingly important that we take a stand against discrimination of all kinds with initiatives such as ‘Red against Racism’. What we need is a society that moves - physically and mentally,” Hoeneß explained at the inauguration.
Bayern's physical activity programme is supported by members of the club who volunteer their time. Anyone interested can contact packmas@fcbayern.com for more information. In the case of the Old Botanical Garden, an open sports course with the central theme of ‘Sport for all’ is planned for local residents in line with ‘Space for everyone’, as the club and the city want to work together to create spaces for sport and socialising. The aim is to create a weekly outdoor training session under the guidance of volunteer coaches, trainers and other people connected to Bayern that is inclusive and available to all people in the neighbourhood and beyond, regardless of age, origin or fitness level.
FC Bayern is making a lasting contribution to the City of Munich's project to turn the Old Botanical Garden into a ‘Space for everyone’:
Topics of this article