Special gifts, interesting questions, plenty of reasons to laugh – and, in between, phone calls from honorary president Uli Hoeneß to Herbert Hainer. When the FCB president took time out on the morning before the 2-2 draw in the Bundesliga top-of-the-table clash between FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund to host another edition of the ‘Meet the President’ event with members of the TEENS CLUB, the atmosphere in the showroom of the German double champions on Säbener Straße was electric. Some of the 15 boys and girls had travelled from far away, while others were playing on “home turf” since they’re from Munich and the surrounding area. “Young people always ask interesting questions,” Hainer concluded. “We want to give the next generation the opportunity to have a say in the club and help shape its future, in keeping with our fundamental democratic principles. I’m delighted by the young people’s enthusiasm. I enjoy doing this.”
Moritz, who travelled seven hours on the train from Lübeck, was excited by the meeting with Hainer – “a special experience that not everyone gets to do” – and also managed to get a photo with Aleks Pavlović in the street beforehand. Lisa from Berlin commented that “it was cool to see everything – you really feel like a part of FC Bayern”, while Emely from Denklingen, Upper Bavaria was impressed by the president: “He was really nice and was very kind in his interactions with us.” The summary from Lars: “My highlight was that Herbert Hainer really is so down-to-earth and gave us teens the feeling that we're listened to and can contribute our ideas.”
At the event, once again carefully organised by the TEENS CLUB team led by Janine Ongyerth and Joel Posenbauer, the teens asked not only about the daily routine of an FCB president and Hainer’s most memorable experiences, but also about topics such as the promotion of the FC Bayern’s women’s team. Hainer explained that the purchase of the stadium in Unterhaching would accelerate this development: “We’re going to turn the stadium into a jewel that makes a statement – in Germany and internationally.” One question focused on the club’s support for volunteers; here, managing director Benny Folkmann referred to the ‘PACK MA’S’ programme, which launched extremely successfully a year ago and in which teenagers can also get involved. Deputy managing director Kiki Hasenpusch discussed the support for young members (“You are the present and the future”) before the question was posed to Hainer: has he ever taken a penalty kick against Manuel Neuer? Not yet, said the president with a grin, adding that he’d have to think about it.
Emely had brought a special gift from her grandmother in Hainer’s home region: photos of the FCB president with Wolfgang Overath, which visibly moved and delighted the 72-year-old. Toward the end, Hainer mentioned that the current member number 1, Heiner Jüngling, had been registered at birth, after which he pointed out Lisa from Berlin has been with FC Bayern since she was three years old. Hainer’s question, “Why did your parents wait until you were three?”, was met with loud laughter. To wrap things up, the president posed for selfies and signed autographs, then headed off to the members’ Schafkopf tournament in the Säbener Straße casino.
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