FC Bayern Women visit Aichach Prison

An encounter without judgement - that's what FC Bayern Women experienced during a visit to Aichach Prison. The afternoon together ultimately left many lasting impressions, on both sides of the prison walls. Club magazine ‘51’ accompanied the women on their visit behind bars.

Following her assistant coach, without any shoes or a jacket, Linda Dallmann left the high dark green fence behind her. Just a few hours earlier, there was no way of knowing that this formative afternoon would end so exuberantly...

Excited voices chatted wildly, everyone was eager to hear what was about to happen. “Everyone in, please close the door, otherwise we won't get any further. Only one door can be open at a time,” explained Mrs Mai as a greeting. The prison officer with curly blonde hair wore a dark blue uniform like all the other prison staff, with "Justiz" (Justice) written on her chest. The sterile anteroom, which serves as an airlock, was cramped. The large, barred entrance door slammed shut, a bunch of keys rattled, and the next door was unlocked. The FC Bayern players were now in a place where nobody wants to go voluntarily: a prison.

A high wall separated the players from the outside world for the next few hours. In cooperation with the Sepp Herberger Foundation, they were visiting the prison in Aichach and were to have a discussion with prisoners. For the prisoners, it’s a step back into society, while at the same time the Bayern women get out of their football bubble and become more aware of their freedom. But first they had a look around the facility. In front of them were several imposing buildings. An inner courtyard leads to the administration centre. The players stood in a vaulted room in front of the employees' grey lockers, the white walls still decorated for Christmas. “These works of art were made by the prisoners. They also often take part in exhibitions organised by the Aichach community,” the group leader explained to the FCB women. On the way to the visitors' rooms, some of the players took a look through the windows at a volleyball court in the inner courtyard. Thick black bars obstruct the view. The atmosphere has calmed down and everyone slowly had realised that they were in a prison.

It was mid-January, shortly before the start of the second half of the season, as the FC Bayern Frauen entered unfamiliar territory. Women and men who have been convicted of offences ranging from theft to murder are being held in Aichach Prison. Katharina Naschenweng, like everyone else, walked through the facility with mixed feelings: “It seems frightening and oppressive, it's not a good feeling.” The room the women were looking at is for visitors, a transparent wall separates them from the prisoners. “You get a different insight. Before, I only knew this kind of thing from films,” noted Gulia Gwinn.

Everyday life in prison

An inconspicuous door opened and the women were standing in the cell wing. It smelled faintly of food and everything was white in colour. The cell doors are reinforced with steel. As the players walked slowly along the corridor, prison officers and prisoners looked down on them from above. White nets separate the individual floors and obstruct the view. “You often get the feeling that this visit is a bit like being in a zoo. You're looking at people behind bars. But it's also the other way round,” said Elisabeth Klenk, deputy head of Aichach Prison.

As the squad walked through the wide corridor in the cell wing, they were given an explanation of everyday prison life and were also allowed to take a look inside an empty cell. A bed, chair, shelving made of light-coloured wood as well as a washbasin, toilet and table can be seen. Pictures hang on the wall. There’s a television on the table. “The prisoners pay for the TV with the money they earn here in prison,” explained a member of staff. “It's amazing, these small rooms,” added Lea Schüller.

“When I heard about the visit, I was very excited about the impressions and stories I would take away from here,” said Gwinn. Now it was time to get outside. Cold air hit the Bayern women as they made their way to the mother and child ward. On the way, inmates waved to them from behind a warehouse door. “The prisoners are happy. It's something different, it takes them out of the prison routine,” stated Mrs Mai. “The fact that so many visitors from the real world are here today is a sign to us that everyone has a place out there,” added Klenk.

United by games

After the tour, everyone gathered in a warehouse. The smell of coffee filled the air. In the middle, on the grey concrete floor, a large circle of chairs had been set up. Workbenches were stacked up against the left wall, while water, coffee and apple spritzer available for everyone on the right. “The prisoners have cleared out the whole hall today and set everything up. They usually put toys together here,” explained Klenk.

The room slowly filled with selected prisoners. They sat down together with the Bayern women in the large circle of chairs, and sports psychologist Martin Walz took the floor. He divided everyone into two groups, which would playfully compete against each other. The aim was to throw tennis balls to each other in zigzags as quickly and with as few mistakes as possible. The fastest group with the fewest mistakes would win.

The atmosphere relaxed and ambition set in for everyone. Fear of contact and boundaries disappeared. For everyone, it was now about winning together. After a few rounds, Walz pulled two egg cartons out of his rucksack. “We'll play the last two rounds with eggs,” he announced. Would that go well? In the end, one egg per group was broken and the team led by Schüller and Naschenweng had won the most rounds. The winners high-fived and celebrated. In this togetherness, all anxiety had disappeared and it was easy to forget that you were in a prison.

Before the players said goodbye, they sat down with the prisoners in small circles of chairs and had a chat. The question arose as to what is the most difficult thing for the inmates in prison. “Being locked up, of course,” replied a blonde prisoner. A young woman asked the players when their next game is. Goalkeeper Mala Grohs replied: “On Wednesday in Rome.” The four inmates got very excited: “Oh, how nice.” Despite the more serious topics, there was a pleasant atmosphere, as if they had known each other for a long time.

“They discovered what they have in common when they play. Today, people have met without labelling each other,” concluded Walz. Markus Hörwick explained that a similar exchange with an FC Bayern youth team took place in prison last year. Bayern’s long-standing media director is a member of the board of trustees of the Sepp Herberger Foundation. “You learn to be more careful with your own freedom.”

“Today was mind-blowing,” said Grohs. “I realised how privileged I grew up and that my life was easy. I take a lot of gratitude and humility back with me.” Naschenweng agreed with her: “You realise how grateful you have to be. Grateful for your own youth and the privileges you had at home.”

An impactful visit

The discussions died down. Dallmann and two prisoners wanted to pass a ball to each other, but one prisoner's shoes weren’t suitable. Dallmann decided to take hers off and gave them to the girl. Sam Kerr and Georgia Stanway also played a ball with two inmates. Slowly, it was time to say goodbye. One of the younger prisoners had tears in her eyes. Dallmann was immediately on hand to comfort her. As a memento, the player gave the prisoner her training jumper and signed it. The smile returned to her face. Dallmann also left her shoes in the prison.

“I liked the project today because it was honest,” said Walz as he concluded. “It was an honest encounter. Especially in these times, when society is drifting further and further apart, actions like this are needed. You strengthen each other.“

“The visit today has grounded us. A big thank you from us to all of you. It was very interesting to hear your stories,” explained Sarah Zadrazil on behalf of the team. On the way back to the bus, the gravel crunched under the feet of the Bayern players. But before everyone was allowed out again, a large gate had to be opened. You could hear electronics at work and the gate slowly started to move. A lot had also been set in motion in people's heads. “Not everything can be taken for granted,” said Gwinn, “we have to appreciate the opportunities we have more.” Finally, the women stepped out, back into freedom.

Photos: Amelie Niederbuchner