From Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to Bastian Schweinsteiger to Toni Kroos, Werner Kern has been involved for decades whenever talented players at Bayern have made their way to being world class. The former head of youth and amateur football, who also enjoyed historic success with the record champions in the mid-1970s as first-team assistant and amateur coach, turned 80 this Monday. He remains closely connected to the club to this day. When the club bid farewell to the legendary Peter Kupferschmidt at the beginning of the year, he was among the mourners. To this day, he attends every game: “I always say I'm obsessed with football. And I live and breathe Bayern with all my heart and soul.”
Herbert Hainer witnessed Kern's career development at close quarters. The birthday boy also worked for adidas for 15 years when the current Bayern president was CEO of the sporting goods manufacturer. “On behalf of Bayern and on a personal level, I would like to wish Werner all the best on his birthday,” said Hainer. “I remember how we used to sit down for a coffee together from time to time during our time at adidas in Herzogenaurach. We always had just one topic of conversation: football. And even back then, everything revolved around Bayern for us. You can always sense how passionate Werner is about the game.” As a special FCB gift from the executive committee and the board of directors headed by chairman Jan-Christian Dreesen, the birthday boy received a porcelain figurine designed especially for the club, depicting a stylised Bayern player, which is given away by the club on exclusive occasions. The long-standing chairman of the advisory board, Eckhart Müller-Heydenreich, presented the sculpture along with a current home jersey.
After several stints as a player and player-coach in Bavarian football, Kern first joined Bayern in 1973. Under coaches Udo Lattek and Dettmar Cramer, he looked after the legendary team including Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Sepp Maier, Uli Hoeneß and Rummenigge, also acting as interim head coach. During this period, the club dominated international football, not least thanks to its three consecutive European Cup victories. Kern was also a pioneer as the first goalkeeping coach. After their first training session together, Sepp Maier said: “Great, we have to keep going exactly like this!”
In 1977, Kern sought new challenges but returned to Säbener Straße in 1998 via partner adidas to take charge of the youth and amateur section. Over time, he also led the FC Bayern Women's football team alongside Karin Danner. Under his leadership, the club began to establish and expand its youth academy, which would later become the FC Bayern Campus. At the end of 2012, he stepped down and handed over to Wolfgang Dremmler. Jochen Sauer, now director of youth development, sought out Kern several times for advice before joining the club, even though Kern was no longer with the club at the time. “His input was extremely helpful. He always had a broad perspective,” Sauer enthuses to this day.
On the occasion of his 75th birthday, Kern explained in the member magazine ‘51’ how he tracked down talent with a system for assessing a player's potential: What are his footballing skills? What are his athletic abilities? Is he fit? Is he fast? Does he play well with others? How does he perform without the ball? And, most importantly, his character. “I always went through this framework 100 times,” he said. What does it take to succeed at Bayern? “Talent, of course. But also ambition, humility and respect. You have to understand that you have to work harder than anyone else. It's a matter of character – and character is shaped by your parents,” Kern remains convinced to this day.
When Rummenigge joined Bayern in 1974, Kern was the first to fly to Lippstadt to scout this interesting young striker. Bayern had received a tip-off, but initially they didn't even know Rummenigge's name. Kern was always ready. There is also a legendary story about when he once wanted to relax at Munich's Westbad swimming pool. Suddenly, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: “Mr Kern, please come to the desk.” Coach Cramer was on the phone, telling Kern to fly to Frankfurt immediately to scout the opposition. And he flew off, in his gym shorts, T-shirt and flip-flops.
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