From Lower Franconia to Upper Franconia to Asia: FC Bayern stands for more than just football – it stands for togetherness, family and community spirit. These values were also lived out in the second half of 2025 at three regional fan club meetings in Lower Franconia, Upper Franconia and faraway Chengdu (China). The sense of community was palpable everywhere: rooms decked out in red and white, reflecting the connection to the German champions, provided the setting for constructive and informative discussions. The meetings showed once again how deeply rooted the relationship with FC Bayern is – whether in its Bavarian homeland or around the globe.
Discussions with around 200 fan club chairs
Director of fan relations Markus Meindl: "In 2025, we attended a total of eight regional fan club meetings in Middle Franconia, Lower Bavaria, the Upper Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt, during the Club World Cup in the USA, Lower Franconia, China and in Upper Franconia, where we exchanged ideas with around 200 fan club chairs. Regional fan club meetings are a central communication format in our fan dialogue, enabling us to maintain direct and personal contact with fan club chairs in Germany and internationally."
The fan club meetings were consistently characterised by openness, constructive dialogue and the shared goal of making fan-related activities even more structured and sustainable. In Lower Franconia, there was a palpable sense of optimism that motivated everyone and drove forward the reorientation of fan-related activities. In Upper Franconia, the sense of community that had existed for decades was clearly evident.
Active involvement of youth representatives and fan clubs
In addition to current fan-related issues and questions regarding infrastructure, the presentation of the AKFD (fan dialogue working group) reform with its nine areas of interest and the further development of the role of the youth representative were repeatedly the focus of attention. Fan club chairs and youth representatives were actively involved in this process with the aim of making fan-related activities even more collaborative and effective. The professionalisation of fan-related activities in women's football, the FC Bayern Campus, the reserves, the fan club programme and kids' and youth tickets were also important topics that underline FC Bayern's focus on the future.
Extraordinary fan club meeting in Chengdu
The fan club meeting in Chengdu (China), attended by 14 representatives from various fan clubs, was extraordinary. Not only were the advantages of official fan clubs discussed, but experiences were also shared and match viewing parties arranged. Building a vibrant fan community culture is also high on the agenda, as is exploring other forms of fan events and regional cooperation between fan clubs. There are even plans for a fan trip to Munich – another sign of how the global FC Bayern family is continuing to grow closer together.
Initial plans for 2026 already in place
The focus is already on the future: further regional fan club meetings are planned for 2026 in the Innviertel region (Upper Austria), Thuringia and the Allgäu region. So FC Bayern continues to remain true to its guiding principle of strengthening the red and white family, promoting a sense of community and further expanding direct dialogue with its fans – in Germany and around the world.
