FC Bayern and Japanese Football Association extend partnership

FC Bayern and the Japan Football Association (JFA) are extending their partnership by a further three years. The existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was originally signed in 2018, will remain in force until 2028. The aim of the partnership is to deepen international exchange and promote the development of young players in men's and women's football.

Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of FC Bayern: “FC Bayern and the Japan Football Association share a special partnership characterized by deep mutual respect. With the extension of the contract, this relationship will proudly last ten years—a clear sign of continuity, reliability, and appreciation. Since the beginning of our cooperation, we have been able to implement numerous innovative projects together and learn from each other. Together, we want to continue fostering talent, deepen our exchange, and thus contribute to further developing football at the international level. We are very much looking forward to the next chapters of this partnership and thank the Japan Football Association for its trust.”

Jochen Sauer, Director of Youth Development at FC Bayern: “We are very pleased about the continuation of the cooperation with the Japan Football Association. Japan is a football nation with great potential, high professionalism, and enormous passion for the sport. The regular exchange generates valuable impulses for both sides, especially in the area of youth development.”

Miyamoto Tsuneyasu, JFA President: “We are delighted to have renewed our partnership with FC Bayern. Since 2018, we have established a fruitful cooperation in various areas, including youth development and coach training. In particular, the overseas stays and exchanges for young players have helped to improve our development environment. This partnership builds on our success to date and aims to deepen our cooperation with a forward-looking perspective. Ito Hiroki and Momoko Tanikawa play for the top men's and women's teams. Cooperation with a world-class club like FC Bayern is crucial as we strive to strengthen Japanese football on a global level. In the future, we want to leverage the strengths of both sides to nurture the next generation and increase international competitiveness.”

Yamamoto Masakuni, Technical Director of the JFA Technical Committee: “The extension of our partnership with FC Bayern is of great importance to the JFA Technical Committee. Through our cooperation to date, we have achieved significant results in technical areas, including coach exchanges and youth development. In particular, the opportunity for young players to train in the elite environment of FC Bayern has become an invaluable experience for the development of promising young players who will shape the future of Japan. This renewed partnership marks a new chapter in our technical cooperation, and we are determined to further strengthen our relationship in order to contribute to improving the level of competition in football in our country.”

More information on FC Bayern’s youth football programmes can be found HERE.