President Herbert Hainer: ‘FC Bayern is a powerhouse of identity’

FC Bayern will hold its Annual General Meeting at BMW Park on Sunday from 10:30 CET, where one of the items on the agenda is the re-election of the president Herbert Hainer and his vice-presidents Professor Dr Dieter Mayer and Walter Mennekes. 

Interview with Herbert Hainer

Herbert Hainer, what can members expect on Sunday?
Herbert Hainer: “The AGM will be dominated by our ‘125 Years of FC Bayern’ anniversary celebrations. Among other things, members can look forward to an exclusive exhibition on the club's history with photo opportunities and a look behind the scenes. FC Bayern is a powerhouse of identity. It has been bringing people together for 125 years, and it should continue to do so in the future. Every club is dynamic, always changing, but FC Bayern must always retain its core.”

There will be a few trophies on stage again this year...
“Yes, 2025 was a historic year for FC Bayern, as the first time we were champions of Germany in men's and women's football as well as in basketball – the Bavarian treble, something that has never happened before. And we can also be very satisfied at the moment, just looking at football, where both our teams are back in first place. Another important sign was the contract extension for Vincent Kompany – credit to our sporting management in Max Eberl and Christoph Freund, as well as to our CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen. This extension is also a sign to the players that something is happening here.”

Apart from sport, what will sets FC Bayern apart in 2025?
“With well over 410,000 members, FC Bayern is the largest sports club in the world. And we have seen record growth in recent years, which shows that we are doing a lot of things right overall. We interact a lot with our members and fans. And everywhere you go, you hear how much people appreciate how accessible the club is. One of my personal highlights this year was the repeat of the 1965 promotion march round Lake Tegernsee. Some 500 members were selected by lottery to take part, and it was a wonderful day where you could strike up conversations with people and literally retrace the history of FC Bayern step by step. That's how I imagine FC Bayern, following tried and trusted paths with new generations.”

This year, the club expanded its dialogue formats to include the new volunteer programme, PACK MA'S, and intensified its exercise promotion programme, ZAM AKTIV, at daycare centres and schools. What is behind this?
“Members are now already involved in the organisation through PACK MA'S at the annual general meeting. We want our members to actively participate in the club and work together to make a difference. Everything is connected, from the TEENS CLUB to our over-65 teams. Two examples are a workshop with young people which gave rise to the idea of organising a joint event with grandparents and their grandchildren on the topic of memory culture. And at a meeting with the so-called ‘silver generation’, one of the biggest concerns was that FC Bayern should please encourage children and young people to get away from their mobile phones and do more sport again. We at FC Bayern can actually make a big difference here and are already very active.”

If you are re-elected, what would you wish for FC Bayern in the future?
“I have been a fan of this club ever since I saw Franz Beckenbauer play. I wish FC Bayern to always remain a club that reads the game and recognises spaces that others do not see. And that it continues to be shaped by the spirit that has characterised it for 125 years. We have been richly blessed this year, also by our fans – for example, with the anthem Immer vorwärts, FC Bayern! and the Beckenbauer statue, which was financed by the Kurt Landauer Foundation. A gift from the fans to the fans – very much in keeping with Franz's spirit. I think it's wonderful that future generations will meet at this monument to take selfies. In this way, the spirit of Franz, which figures such as Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge have always preserved, lives on. And what FC Bayern embodies will also be passed on permanently.”