Fan dialogue working group reform bears fruit

When the agenda item ‘open exchange’ with Jan-Christian Dreesen was reached at the end of the meeting, the FC Bayern CEO looked out over a relaxed group at the fan dialogue working group (AKFD) meeting in Foyer E of the Allianz Arena before the 6-2 victory over Freiburg. The reform decided upon in the spring proved its worth right from the start, and the further development of the committee with the aim of making the German champions' fan work even more thematic, content-related, structured, constructive, sustainable, collaborative, open and effective bore its first fruits.

Markus Meindl, director of fans, summed up with satisfaction: “Our new concept delivers everything we had hoped for. Our fan dialogue working group now has a more modern, democratic and future-proof approach. Once again, we are taking away valuable ideas. The list of topics is full and we are always open to further updates. A big thank you to all members of the AKFD – together we will continue to develop our exchange and tackle all challenges step by step.”

Representatives from the nine areas of fan clubs and community, women's football, inclusion, senior citizens' issues, regional networking, stadium experience and atmosphere, ticket programmes, diversity, and kids & teens explained what had been happening in their respective areas over the past few months at the meeting, which was moderated by fan representative Alexander Groß. Another focus of the meeting was an insight into the topic of sign language. The fan club FC Bayern Red Deaf was invited especially for this purpose.

Fan club chairwoman Martina Bechtold, as well as Toni Meier and Stefan Kösters, explained to AKFD members how Red Deaf worked with FC Bayern to develop sign language for football and basketball players, which has been shown on screens during team line-up announcements for the past two seasons. “Many fans think these are just random gestures, but they are signs for people with hearing impairments,” explained Martina with the help of interpreter Michaela Meyer. And Toni added: “Each sign means that the person has an identity in sign language.” What was special about this project was that they, as fans, were commissioned to implement it and not an external agency. Stefan explained: “This is participation in action. We can actively help shape FC Bayern and feel even more like part of the FC Bayern family.”

The trio showed signs on the screen from Manuel Neuer, Harry Kane, Giulia Gwinn and basketball world and European champion Andi Obst, among others. In the case of Serge Gnabry and Alphonso Davies, they let the AKFD members guess what the respective signs meant, and at the end Vincent Kompany appeared on the monitor with a special sign: Mia san Mia. Red Deaf had already explained the background to the signs to the club members at the annual general meeting. And at the AKFD meeting, everyone present imitated the Mia san Mia sign. “We would like as many fans as possible to learn the signs. That would make our interaction even more lively,” said the three Red Deaf members. Alexander Grundler, in charge of inclusion at the AKFD, thanked the trio for their presentation on behalf of the entire committee, saying, “Signs are not just an addition, they provide the key to better communication and participation. This project shows once again that inclusion is not just a question of structural measures to overcome barriers in people's minds.”

At the start of the event, Meindl once again presented impressive figures. During a total of eight regional fan club meetings (six in Germany, one each in the USA and China) in 2025, the fan management team engaged in direct dialogue with the fan club chairpersons. In addition, there were 20 anniversary visits to mark the 40th, 50th or 60th anniversary of long-standing fan clubs. These tried-and-tested formats will be continued in 2026, according to Meindl. During the meeting, suggestions were made for optimising ticket sales for women's matches and installing handrails for senior citizens in the stadiums. There was praise for the ‘Forever Number 1’ memory case, and for the first time, a representative of the interests of kids and teens presented via the youth representatives in the FC Bayern fan clubs. At the end, refreshments were served to prepare for the match against Freiburg, during which insights into sign language were deepened.