China national team coach Shao Jiayi visits FC Bayern

Morning at the FC Bayern Campus, afternoon at Säbener Straße, plus a discussion with head coach Vincent Kompany and sporting director Christoph Freund as well as a jersey presentation with Rouven Kasper, FC Bayern’s board member for marketing and sales: China national team coach Shao Jiayi packed a lot into his visit to the German champions. The 46-year-old played in the Bundesliga from 2002 to 2011 for Energie Cottbus, MSV Duisburg and TSV 1860 Munich.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to exchange knowledge, and a visit like this benefits both parties,” said Kasper. “We’ve set up various football schools in Shao Jiayi’s country in recent years, and thanks to our office in Shanghai that we opened in 2014, we have a direct insight into what matters to football enthusiasts in the region. FC Bayern has a good reputation across Asia, and it pleases us when national coaches like Shao Jiayi take an interest in how we work at our club.”

At the start of Jiayi’s visit, he stopped by the fitness area, pitches, SkillsLab and stadium at the FC Bayern Campus. During the tour, a brief conversation took place with Bernhard Seonbuchner, the new head of player/coach development. For the second part of the visit, he headed to Säbener Straße to observe training. Following the session, Kompany took the time to exchange ideas, with Freund also joining in. To finish, Kasper handed over a shirt to take home as a memento of his visit.

“I’m really pleased that FC Bayern opened its doors to me and gave me fascinating insights into the club’s youth setup,” said Jiayi. “I was particularly impressed by the professionalism of the structures, and how young players are introduced toward the professional level here.”

Among other things, FC Bayern has run the FC Bayern Football School Taicang in Taicang, near Shanghai, since 2023 – a youth football project in cooperation with a local middle school. This sees a boys and a girls’ team training daily with coaches from the German champions. The players are immersed in the training sessions, which are integrated into the school day, and in the principles and methods of the FC Bayern Campus.

As well as the hugely important educational development, this also encourages a sporting development at a high level. The Football School thus forms an important element of the FC Bayern Pathway in demonstrating a way into professional football to talents in China. In summer 2025, the FC Bayern World Squad visited Shanghai, Hangzhou and Taicang for training sessions and friendly matches against local clubs.

FC Bayern will soon be in Hong Kong: