FC Bayern Munich

Early years (1900–1965)

FC Bayern Munich was founded by members of a Munich gymnastics club (MTV 1879). When a congregation of members of MTV 1879 decided on 27 February 1900 that the footballers of the club would not be allowed to join the German Football Association (DFB), 11 members of the football division left the congregation and on the same evening founded Fußball-Club Bayern München. Within a few months, Bayern achieved high-scoring victories against all local rivals, including a 15–0 win against FC Nordstern, and reached the semi-finals of the 1900–01 South German championship. In the following years, the club won some local trophies and in 1910–11 Bayern joined the newly founded "Kreisliga", the first regional Bavarian league. The club won this league in its first year, but did not win it again until the beginning of World War I in 1914, which halted all football activities in Germany.

In the years after the war, Bayern won several regional competitions before winning its first South German championship in 1926, an achievement repeated two years later. Its first national title was gained in 1932, when coach Richard "Little Dombi" Kohn led the team to the German championship by defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 2–0 in the final.

The advent of Nazism put an abrupt end to Bayern's development. Club president Kurt Landauer and the coach, both of whom were Jewish, left the country. Many others in the club were also purged. Bayern was taunted as the "Jew's club", while local rival 1860 Munich gained much support. Josef Sauter, who was inaugurated 1943, was the only NSDAP member as president. As some Bayern players greeted Landauer, who was watching a friendly in Switzerland lead to continued discrimination. Bayern was also affected by the ruling that football players had to be full amateurs again. In the following years, Bayern could not sustain its role of contender for the national title, achieving mid-table results in its regional league instead.

After the war, Bayern became a member of the Oberliga Süd, the southern conference of the German first division, which was split five ways at that time. Bayern struggled, hiring and firing 13 coaches between 1945 and 1963. Landauer returned from exile in 1947 and was once again appointed club president, the tenure lasted until 1951. He remains as the club's president with the longest accumulated tenure. Landauer has been deemed as inventor of Bayern as a professional club and his memory is e.g. being upheld by the Bayern ultras Schickeria. In 1955, the club was relegated but returned to the Oberliga in the following season and won the DFB-Pokal for the first time, beating Fortuna Düsseldorf 1–0 in the final. The club struggled financially though, verging on bankruptcy at the end of the 1950s. Manufacturer Roland Endler provided the necessary funds and was rewarded with four years at the helm of the club. In 1963, the Oberligas in Germany were consolidated into one national league, the Bundesliga. Five teams from the Oberliga South were admitted. Bayern finished third in that year's southern division, but another Munich team, 1860 Munich, had won the championship. As the DFB preferred not to include two teams from one city, Bayern was not chosen for the Bundesliga. They gained promotion two years later, fielding a team with young talents like Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller and Sepp Maier — who would later be collectively referred to as the axis.

Golden years (1965–1979)

In their first Bundesliga season, Bayern finished third and also won the DFB-Pokal. This qualified them for the following year's European Cup Winners' Cup, which they won in a dramatic final against Scottish club Rangers, when Franz Roth scored the decider in a 1–0 extra time victory. In 1967, Bayern retained the DFB-Pokal, but slow overall progress saw Branko Zebec take over as coach. He replaced Bayern's offensive style of play with a more disciplined approach, and in doing so achieved the first league and cup double in Bundesliga history in 1969. Bayern Munich are one of four German clubs to win the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal in the same season along with Borussia Dortmund, 1. FC Köln and Werder Bremen. Zebec used only 13 players throughout the season.

Udo Lattek took charge in 1970. After winning the DFB-Pokal in his first season, Lattek led Bayern to their third German championship. The deciding match in the 1971–72 season against Schalke 04 was the first match in the new Olympiastadion, and was also the first live televised match in Bundesliga history. Bayern beat Schalke 5–1 and thus claimed the title, also setting several records, including points gained and goals scored. Bayern also won the next two championships, but the zenith was their triumph in the 1974 European Cup Final against Atlético Madrid, which Bayern won 4–0 after a replay. This title – after winning the Cup Winners' trophy 1967 and two semi-finals (1968 and 1972) in that competition – marked the club's breakthrough as a force on the international stage. During the following years, the team was unsuccessful domestically but defended their European title by defeating Leeds United in the 1975 European Cup Final when Roth and Müller secured victory with late goals. "We came back into the game and scored two lucky goals, so in the end we were the winners but we were very, very lucky", stated Franz Beckenbauer. Billy Bremner believed the French referee was "very suspicious". Leeds fans then rioted in Paris and were banned from European football for three years. A year later in Glasgow, Saint-Étienne were defeated by another Roth goal and Bayern became the third club to win the trophy in three consecutive years. The final trophy won by Bayern in this era was the Intercontinental Cup, in which they defeated Brazilian club Cruzeiro over two legs. The rest of the decade was a time of change and saw no further titles for Bayern. In 1977, Franz Beckenbauer left for New York Cosmos and, in 1979, Sepp Maier and Uli Hoeneß retired while Gerd Müller joined the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Bayerndusel was coined during this period as an expression of either contempt or envy about the sometimes narrow and last-minute wins against other teams.

From FC Breitnigge to FC Hollywood (1979–1998)

The 1980s were a period of off-field turmoil for Bayern, with many changes in personnel and financial problems. On the field, Paul Breitner and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, termed FC Breitnigge, led the team to Bundesliga titles in 1980 and 1981. Apart from a DFB-Pokal win in 1982, two relatively unsuccessful seasons followed, after which Breitner retired and former coach Udo Lattek returned. Bayern won the DFB-Pokal in 1984 and went on to win five Bundesliga championships in six seasons, including a double in 1986. European success, however, was elusive during the decade; Bayern managed to claim the runners-up spot in the European Cup in 1982 and 1987.

Jupp Heynckes was hired as coach in 1987, but after two consecutive championships in 1988–89 and 1989–90, Bayern's form dipped. After finishing second in 1990–91, the club finished just five points above the relegation places in 1991–92. In 1993–94, Bayern was eliminated in the UEFA Cup second round to Premier League side Norwich City, who remain the only English club to beat Bayern at the Olympiastadion. Success returned when Franz Beckenbauer took over for the second half of the 1993–94 season, winning the championship again after a four-year gap. Beckenbauer was then appointed club president.

His successors as coach, Giovanni Trapattoni and Otto Rehhagel, both finished trophyless after a season, not meeting the club's high expectations. During this time, Bayern's players frequently appeared in the gossip pages of the press rather than the sports pages, resulting in the nickname FC Hollywood. Franz Beckenbauer briefly returned at the end of the 1995–96 season as caretaker coach and led his team to victory in the UEFA Cup, beating Bordeaux in the final. For the 1996–97 season, Trapattoni returned to win the championship. In the following season, Bayern lost the title to newly promoted 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Trapattoni had to take his leave for the second time.

Renewed international success (1998–present)

After his success at Borussia Dortmund, Bayern were coached by Ottmar Hitzfeld from 1998 to 2004. In Hitzfeld's first season, Bayern won the Bundesliga and came close to winning the Champions League, losing 2–1 to Manchester United into injury time after leading for most of the match. The following year, in the club's centenary season, Bayern won the third league and cup double in its history. A third consecutive Bundesliga title followed in 2001, won with a stoppage time goal on the final day of the league season. Days later, Bayern won the Champions League for the fourth time after a 25-year gap, defeating Valencia on penalties. The 2001–02 season began with a win in the Intercontinental Cup, but ended trophyless otherwise. In 2002–03, Bayern won their fourth double, leading the league by a record margin of 16 points. Hitzfeld's reign ended in 2004, with Bayern underperforming, including defeat by second division Alemannia Aachen in the DFB-Pokal.

Felix Magath took over and led Bayern to two consecutive doubles. Prior to the start of the 2005–06 season, Bayern moved from the Olympiastadion to the new Allianz Arena, which the club shares with 1860 Munich. On the field, their performance in 2006–07 was erratic. Trailing in the league and having lost to Alemannia Aachen in the cup yet again, coach Magath was sacked shortly after the winter break.

Hitzfeld returned as a trainer in January 2007, but Bayern finished the 2006–07 season in fourth position, thus failing to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in more than a decade. Additional losses in the DFB-Pokal and the DFB-Ligapokal left the club with no honours for the season.

For the 2007–08 season, Bayern made drastic squad changes to help rebuild. They signed a total of eight new players and sold, released or loaned out nine of their players. Among new signings were 2006 World Cup stars such as Franck Ribéry, Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni. Bayern went on to win the Bundesliga, being on top of the standings on every single week of play, and the DFB-Pokal against Borussia Dortmund.

On 11 January 2008, Jürgen Klinsmann was named as Hitzfeld's successor, taking charge on 1 July 2008 after signing a two-year contract. Bayern Munich lost the DFL-Supercup 1–2 against Borussia Dortmund in 2008 then was eliminated by Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal. In the Champions League Bayern also reached the quarter-finals after winning Group F and defeating Sporting CP in the first knockout round, achieving a Champions League record aggregate of 12–1. On 27 April, two days after a home defeat against Schalke 04 which saw Bayern drop to the third place in the table, Klinsmann was fired. Former trainer Jupp Heynckes was named as caretaker until the end of the season. Bayern eventually finished second, thus qualifying directly for the Champions League in 2009–10.

Bayern then signed Dutch manager Louis van Gaal for the 2009–10 season. Multi-million signings of Arjen Robben and Mario Gómez also followed in a bid to return Bayern to the top of the European scene. On 8 May 2010, Bayern Munich won the 2009–10 Bundesliga after a 3–1 win at Hertha BSC. Bayern then won the DFB-Pokal on 15 May 2010 to secure the domestic double. Bayern also reached the 2010 Champions League final, but were beaten 2–0 by Inter Milan, failing to become the first German club to complete the treble.

In the 2010–11 season, Bayern were eliminated in the first round of the Champions League knockout phase by Inter Milan on the away goals rule and finished third in the Bundesliga. Van Gaal was fired by Bayern in April 2011.

In the 2011–12 season, Heynckes returned to coach Bayern for a second permanent spell but the team was to end the season without a trophy for the second season running. Domestically they finished second in the Bundesliga and lost the DFB-Pokal final 2–5, both times finishing runner-up to Borussia Dortmund. They also reached the final of the Champions League in their home stadium, but lost to Chelsea on penalties (3–4) in what was only the club's second defeat to an English team in Munich, and their first at the Allianz Arena.

In the 2012–13 season, Bayern won the 2012 DFL-Supercup 2–1 against rivals Borussia Dortmund. Bayern became the first team in history to win their first eight matches in the Bundesliga after their 5–0 away win to Fortuna Düsseldorf. On 6 April 2013, Bayern won the 2012–13 Bundesliga after a 1–0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt with six games left, setting a new record for being the earliest ever Bundesliga winners. Other Bundesliga records set by Bayern in the 2012–13 season include most points in a season (91), highest league winning points margin (25), most wins in a season (29) and fewest goals conceded in a season (18). Bayern also equaled the record for fewest defeats in a season, losing once, to Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern also reached the Champions League final for the third time in four seasons, winning the club's fifth European Cup with a 2–1 defeat of domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium. On 1 June 2013, Bayern beat VfB Stuttgart 3–2 in the 2013 DFB-Pokal final to become the first German club in men's football to complete the treble; Bayern had missed out on trebles in 1999 and 2010.

On 1 July 2013, Pep Guardiola took over as manager ahead of the 2013–14 season. Bayern also completed the signing of Mario Götze from Borussia Dortmund for €37 million, who became the most expensive German player in history (this was later surpassed by Mesut Özil's transfer from Real Madrid to Arsenal for €50 million). On 24 July 2013, it was reported that Bayern had become the first German club with over 200,000 members. On 27 July 2013, Bayern Munich lost against rivals Borussia Dortmund 2–4 in the 2013 DFL-Supercup at Signal Iduna Park. On 30 August 2013, Bayern won the UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea. On 9 November 2013, Bayern set a new record for most successive Bundesliga matches without defeat, breaking Hamburger SV's 30-year-old record of 36 matches. This record was eventually extended to 53 matches, before Bayern lost 1–0 to FC Augsburg in April 2014. On 27 November 2013, Bayern became the first team to win ten consecutive Champions League matches with a 3–1 away victory over CSKA Moscow. On 21 December 2013, Bayern beat Raja Casablanca 2–0 at the Stade de Marrakech to win the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup.

After almost a year of investigations against Uli Hoeneß, Bayern's former player, former long-time general manager, and president at the time, he was convicted of tax evasion on 13 March 2014. Hoeneß resigned as president the next day, and Karl Hopfner was elected president on 2 May. Just days after Hoeneß conviction, on 25 March, Bayern won their 24th Bundesliga title by beating Hertha BSC 3–1 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. With seven matches remaining in the season, it was the earliest the championship had been won in Bundesliga history, breaking the record Bayern had set in the previous season. At the end of the season Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund 2–0 in the 2014 DFB-Pokal Final to give the club the tenth league and cup double in its history. In 2014–15, Bayern defended their league title, and, the following season, won an 11th double, including a record fourth consecutive Bundesliga title. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Guardiola left Bayern to take over as manager of Manchester City and was replaced by Carlo Ancelotti.

Bayern got off to a good start under Ancelotti, defeating Dortmund 2–0 in the 2016 DFL-Supercup. Despite being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Real Madrid and the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal by Borussia Dortmund, they managed to clinch a fifth consecutive Bundesliga title with three matches remaining following a 6–0 away win over VfL Wolfsburg.

Colours

In the original club constitution, Bayern's colours were named as white and blue, but the club played in white shirts with black shorts until 1905, when Bayern joined MSC. MSC decreed that the footballers would have to play in red shorts. Also, the younger players were called red shorts, which was meant as an insult. For most of the club's early history, Bayern had primarily worn white and maroon home kits. In 1968–69 season, Bayern changed to red and blue striped shirts, with blue shorts and socks. Between 1969 and 1973, the team wore a home strip of red and white striped shirts with either red or white shorts and red socks. In the 1973–74 season, the team switched to an all white kit featuring single vertical red and blue stripes on the shirt. From 1974 onwards, Bayern have mostly worn an all red home kit, with white trim. Bayern revived the red and blue striped colour scheme between 1995 and 1997. In 1997, blue was the dominant colour for the first time when Adidas released an all navy blue home kit with a red chest band. In 1999, Bayern returned to a predominantly red kit, which featured blue sleeves, and in 2000 the club released a traditional all red kit with white trim to be worn for Champions League matches. Bayern also wore a Rotwein coloured home kits in Bundesliga matches between 2001 and 2003, and during the 2006–07 Champions League campaign, in reference to their first choice colours prior to the late 1960s.

The club's away kit has had a wide range of colours over the years, including white, black, blue, and gold-green. Bayern also features a distinct international kit. During the 2013–14 season, Bayern have used an all red home kit with a Bavarian flag diamond watermark pattern, a Lederhosen inspired white and black Oktoberfest away kit, and an all navy blue international kit.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Bayern used a special away kit when playing at 1. FC Kaiserslautern, representing the Brazilian colours blue and yellow, a superstition borne from the fact that the club found it hard to win there.

Crest

Bayern's crest has changed several times. Originally it consisted of the stylised letters F, C, B, M, which were woven into one symbol. The original crest was blue. The colours of Bavaria were included for the first time in 1954.

The modern version of the crest has changed from the 1954 version in several steps. While the crest consisted of a single colour only for most of the time, namely blue or red, the current (2008) crest is blue, red, and white. It has the colours of Bavaria in its centre and FC Bayern München is written in white on a red ring enclosing the Bavarian colours.

Stadiums

Bayern played its first training games at the Schyrenplatz in the centre of Munich. The first official games were held on the Theresienwiese. In 1901, Bayern moved to a field of its own, located in Schwabing at the Clemensstraße. After joining the Münchner Sport-Club (MSC) in 1906, Bayern moved in May 1907 to MSC's ground at the Leopoldstraße. As the crowds gathering for Bayern's home games increased at the beginning of the 1920s, Bayern had to switch to various other premises in Munich.

From 1925, Bayern shared the Grünwalder Stadion with 1860 Munich. Until World War II, the stadium was owned by 1860 Munich, and is still colloquially known as Sechz'ger ("Sixties") Stadium. It was destroyed during the war, and efforts to rebuild it resulted in a patchwork. Bayern's record crowd at the Grünwalder Stadion is reported as more than 50,000 in the home game against 1. FC Nürnberg in the 1961–62 season. In the Bundesliga era the stadium had a maximum capacity of 44,000 which was reached on several occasions, but the capacity has since been reduced to 21,272. As was the case at most of this period's stadiums, the vast majority of the stadium was given over to terracing. Today the second teams of both clubs play in the stadium.

For the 1972 Summer Olympics the city of Munich built the Olympiastadion. The stadium, renowned for its architecture, was inaugurated in the last Bundesliga match of the 1971–72 season. The match drew a capacity crowd of 79,000, a total which was reached again on numerous occasions. The stadium was, in its early days, considered to be one of the foremost stadia in the world and played host to numerous major finals, such as that of 1974 FIFA World Cup. In the following years the stadium underwent several modifications, such as an increase in seating space from approximately 50% to ca. 66% . Eventually the stadium had a capacity of 63,000 for national matches, and 59,000 for international occasions such as European Cup competitions. Many people, however, began to feel that the stadium was too cold in winter, with half the audience exposed to the weather due to lack of cover. A further complaint was the distance between the spectators and the pitch, the stadium betraying its track and field heritage. Modification of the stadium proved impossible as the architect Günther Behnisch vetoed major modifications of the stadium.

After much discussion, the city of Munich, the state of Bavaria, Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich jointly decided at the end of 2000 to build a new stadium. While Bayern had wanted a purpose-built football stadium for several years, the awarding of the 2006 FIFA World Cup to Germany stimulated the discussion as the Olympiastadion no longer met the FIFA criteria to host a World Cup game. Located on the northern outskirts of Munich, the Allianz Arena has been in use since the beginning of the 2005–06 season. Its initial capacity of 66,000 fully covered seats has since been increased for matches on national level to 69,901 by transforming 3,000 seats to terracing in a 2:1 ratio. Since August 2012, 2,000 more seats were added in the last row of the top tier increasing the capacity to 71,000. In January 2015, a proposal to increase the capacity was approved by the city council so now Allianz Arena has a capacity of 75,000 (70,000 in Champions League).

The most prominent feature of the stadium is the translucent outer layer, which can be illuminated in different colours for impressive effects. Usually, red lighting is used for Bayern home games, blue for 1860 Munich games and white for German national team home games.

In May 2012, Bayern opened a museum about its history, FC Bayern Erlebniswelt, inside the Allianz Arena.

Supporters

Bayern considers itself a national club. The club had 3,202 fanclubs with total 231,197 members in 2012, making it the club with the largest number of organised supporters in Germany. Owing partly to the club having supporters all over the country, all of Bayern's away games have been sold out in recent years. Their following is mainly recruited from the aspiring middle class and regional Bavaria. Despite a large proportion of their supporters having to travel more than 200 km (ca. 120 miles) regularly, the club's home matches in the Allianz Arena have almost always been sold out. According to a study by Sport+Markt Bayern is the fifth-most popular football club in Europe with 20.7 million supporters, and the most popular football club in Germany with 10 million supporters.

Bayern Munich is also renowned for its well-organised ultra scene. The most prominent groups are the Schickeria München, the Inferno Bavaria, the Red Munichs '89, the Südkurve '73, the Munichmaniacs 1996, the Red Angels, and the Red Sharks. The ultras scene of Bayern Munch has been recognized for certain groups taking stance against right-wing extremism, racism and homophobia, and in 2014 the group Schickeria München received the Julius Hirsch Award by the DFB for its commitment against antisemitism and discrimination.

Stern des Südens is the song which fans sing at FCB home games. In the 1990s they also used to sing FC Bayern, Forever Number One.

The club also has quite a number of high-profile supporters, among them Pope Benedict XVI, Boris Becker, retired German tennis player, Wladimir Klitschko, Ukrainian boxer, Horst Seehofer and Edmund Stoiber, former Minister-President of Bavaria, to name just a few.

Rivalries

Bayern Munich has a rivalry with Borussia Dortmund. Bayern and Dortmund have competed against each other for many Bundesliga titles. They also have played against each other in the DFB-Pokal final in 2008, 2012, and 2014. The 2–5 loss against Dortmund in the 2012 DFB-Pokal final was Bayern's worst ever loss in a final. Bayern and Dortmund have also played against each other in the DFL-Supercup in 1989, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016. The height of the rivalry was when Bayern defeated Dortmund, 2–1 in the final of the 2013 UEFA Champions League.

Bayern is one of three professional football clubs in Munich. Bayern's main local rival is 1860 Munich, who were the more successful club in the 1960s, winning a cup and a championship. In the 1970s and 1980s, 1860 Munich moved between the first and the third division but lately, have settled in the second division. The Munich derby is still a much-anticipated event, getting a lot of extra attention from supporters of both clubs. 1860 Munich is considered more working-class, and therefore suffers from a diminishing fan base in a city where the manufacturing sector is declining. Bayern is considered the establishment club, which is reflected by many board members being business leaders and including the former Bavarian minister president, Edmund Stoiber. Despite the rivalry, Bayern has repeatedly supported 1860 in times of financial disarray.

Since the 1920s, 1. FC Nürnberg has been Bayern's main and traditional rival in Bavaria. Philipp Lahm said that playing Nürnberg is "always special" and is a "heated atmosphere". Both clubs played in the same league in the mid-1920s, but in the 1920s and 1930s, Nürnberg was far more successful, winning five championships in the 1920s, making the club Germany's record champion. Bayern took over the title more than sixty years later, when they won their tenth championship in 1987, thereby surpassing the number of championships won by Nürnberg. The duel between Bayern and Nürnberg is often referred to as the Bavarian Derby.

Bayern also enjoys a strong rivalry with the 1. FC Kaiserslautern, originating in parts from a game in 1973, when Bayern lost 7–4 after leading 4–1, but also from the two clubs competing for German championship honours at various times in the Bundesliga as well as the city of Kaiserslautern together with the surrounding Palatinate having been part of Bavaria until a plebiscite after the end of the Second World War.

Since the 1970s, Bayern's main rivals have been the clubs who put up the strongest fight against its national dominance. In the 1970s this was Borussia Mönchengladbach, in the 1980s the category expanded to include Hamburger SV. In the 1990s, Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen emerged as the most ardent opponents. Recently Borussia Dortmund, Schalke, and Werder Bremen have been the main challengers in the Bundesliga.

Amongst Bayern's chief European rivals are Real Madrid, A.C. Milan, and Manchester United due to many classic wins, draws and losses. Real Madrid versus Bayern is the match that has historically been played most often in the Champions League/European Cup with 24 matches. Real's biggest loss at home in the Champions League came at the hands of Bayern on 29 February 2000 (2–4). Due to Bayern being traditionally hard to beat for Madrid, Madrid supporters often refer to Bayern as the "Bestia negra" ("Black Beast"). Despite the number of duels, Bayern and Real have never met in the final of a Champions League or European Cup.

Organization and finance

Bayern is led mostly by former club players. Since 2 May 2014, Karl Hopfner serves as the club's president, following Uli Hoeneß who had been in office from 2009 to 2014; Hoeneß had resigned after being convicted of tax fraud. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is the chairman of the executive board of the AG. The supervisory board of nine consists mostly of managers of big German corporations. Besides the club's president and the board's chairman Karl Hopfner, they are Herbert Hainer (Adidas), Rupert Stadler (Audi), Werner Zedelius (Allianz), Timotheus Höttges (Deutsche Telekom), Rudolf Schels, Edmund Stoiber, Theodor Weimer (UniCredit Bank), and Martin Winterkorn (Volkswagen).

Professional football at Bayern is run by the spin-off organization FC Bayern München AG. AG is short for Aktiengesellschaft, and Bayern is run like a joint stock company, a company whose stock are not listed on the public stock exchange, but is privately owned. 75% of FC Bayern München AG is owned by the club, the FC Bayern München e. V. (e. V. is short for Eingetragener Verein, which translates into "Registered Club"). Three Germany-based corporations, the sports goods manufacturer Adidas, the automobile company Audi and the financial services group Allianz each hold 8.33% of the shares, 25% in total. Adidas acquired its shares in 2002 for €77 million. The money was designated to help finance the Allianz Arena. In 2009 Audi paid €90 million for their share. The capital was reportedly going to be used to repay the loan for the Allianz Arena quicker than originally planned. And in early 2014, Allianz became the fourth stakeholder of the company acquiring theirs share for €110 million. Bayern's other sports departments are run by the club.

Bayern's main advertising partner and current holder of the jersey rights is Deutsche Telekom. The main supplier of the club is Adidas. The premium partners include Audi, HypoVereinsbank, Imtech, Lufthansa, MAN, Paulaner Brewery, Samsung, DHL and Yingli Solar. Classic sponsors include Coca-Cola, Siemens, Hublot, Henkel, Flyeralarm, Nestle Schoeller, Adelholzener, Fitness First, Schaeffler Group, s.Oliver, Viagogo, Trentino, Thomas Sabo and Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Food sponsors include Albi, BiFi, Ehrmann and MF. In previous years the jersey rights were held by Adidas (1974–78), Magirus Deutz and Iveco (trucks / 1978–84), Commodore (computers / 1984–89) and Opel (cars / 1989–2002).

Bayern is an exception in professional, international football, having generated profits in nine of the last ten seasons. Other clubs often report losses, realizing transfers via loans, whereas Bayern always uses current assets. Also Bayern differs from other European top clubs in their income composition. While other clubs derive more than 35% of their revenues from broadcasting right, Bayern earn only 22% of their revenues that way. This is often accounted for by Bayern not marketing their broadcasting right themselves. Instead the Deutsche Fußball Liga negotiates broadcasting rights for the whole Bundesliga.

In 2011–12, Bayern reported revenues of €373 million, marking the eighth consecutive time that Bayern has topped their previous record earnings. According to the 2013 edition of Deloitte's annual Football Money League, Bayern was the fourth richest club in the world in 2012, generating revenues of €368.4 million.

While other European clubs have mainly marketed to international audiences, Bayern has focused on Germany. Forbes ranks Bayern as the world's fifth-most valuable football club in their annual list, estimating the club's value at US$1.235 billion. As a result of Bayern's finals appearance in the 2012 UEFA Champions League, the club's brand value has reached US$786 million, up 59% from the previous year. Among European teams, this is ahead of Real Madrid's US$600 million and behind first-placed Manchester United, whose brand is valued at US$853 million. In 2013, Bayern overtook Manchester United to take first place in brand valuation.

Social engagement and charity

Bayern has been involved with charitable ventures for a long time, helping other football clubs in financial disarray as well as ordinary people in misery. In the wake of the 2004 Tsunami the "FC Bayern – Hilfe e.V." was founded, a foundation that aims to concentrate the social engagements of the club. At its inception this venture was funded with €600,000, raised by officials and players of the club. The money was amongst other things used to build a school in Marathenkerny, Sri Lanka and to rebuild the area of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. In April 2007 it was decided that the focus of the foundation would shift towards supporting people in need locally.

The club has also time and again shown to have a soft spot for clubs in financial disarray. Repeatedly the club has supported its local rival 1860 Munich with gratuitous friendlies, transfers at favourable rates, and direct money transfers. Also when St. Pauli threatened to lose its license for professional football due to financial problems, Bayern met the club for a friendly game free of any charge, giving all revenues to St. Pauli. More recently when Mark van Bommel's home club Fortuna Sittard was in financial distress Bayern came to a charity game at the Dutch club. Another well known example was the transfer of Alexander Zickler in 1993 from Dynamo Dresden. When Bayern picked up Zickler for 2.3 Million DM many considered the sum to be a subvention for the financially threatened Dresdeners. In 2003, Bayern provided a 2 Million Euro loan without collateral to the nearly bankrupt Borussia Dortmund which has since been repaid. On 14 July 2013, Bayern played a charity game against financially threatened third division Hansa Rostock. The game raised about €1 million, securing Hansa's licence.

In the summer of 2013 Bayern was the first club to give financial support to the Magnus Hirschfeld National Foundation. The foundation researches the living environment LGBT people, and developed an education concept to facilitate unbiased dealing with LGBT themes in football.

Training facility

FC Bayern Munich training facilities, for both the professional and the Junior Team, are located at the Bayern Munich Headquarters. There are four grass pitches, one of which has undersoil heating, one artificial grass field and a multi-functional sports hall. After the closure of Munich American High School, FC Bayern purchased the DoDDS adjacent sporting fields that previously held MAHS's football pitch and baseball field. A new grass pitch was placed over the existing football pitch while an artificial turf field was placed over the baseball diamond.

The players' quarters opened in 1990 and were reconstructed after the 2007–08 season on suggestions by the new coach, Jürgen Klinsmann, who took inspiration from various major sports clubs. The quarters are now called the performance centre and feature a weights and fitness area, a massage unit, dressing rooms, the coaches' office, and a conference room with screening facilities for video analysis. A café, a library, an e-Learning room, and a family room are also included.

Located at the headquarters is also the Youth Academy, which houses up to 13 young talents from outside the city. While being part of Bayern's Junior Team they can work there on their development as footballers. Former residents of the Youth House include Owen Hargreaves, Michael Rensing, and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

In 2006 Bayern purchased land near the Allianz Arena with the purpose of building a new youth academy. In 2015 the project, estimated to cost €70 million, was started, after overcoming internal resistance. The main reasons for the project were that the existing facilities were too small and that the club, while very successful at senior level, lacked competitiveness with other German and European clubs at youth level. The new facility is scheduled to open in the 2017–18 season.

Honours

Bayern is historically the most successful team in German football, as they have won the most championships and the most cups. They are also Germany's most successful team in international competitions, having won eleven trophies. Bayern is one of only five clubs to have won all three major European competitions and also the last club to have won the European Cup three times in a row, entitling them to wear a multiple-winner badge during Champions League matches.

Domestic

European

Worldwide

Trebles

Bayern Munich is the first team in Europe to have completed all available Trebles (continental treble, domestic treble and European treble).

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Notable past players

At his farewell game, Oliver Kahn was declared honorary captain of Bayern Munich. The players below are part of the FC Bayern Munich Hall of Fame.

1930s

1970s:

1980s:

1990s:

2000s:

2010s:

Retired numbers

12 – Club Supporters (the 12th Man)

Current staff

Coaches since 1963

Bayern had 19 coaches since its promotion to the Bundesliga in 1965. Udo Lattek, Giovanni Trapattoni, Ottmar Hitzfeld and Jupp Heynckes served two terms as head coach. Franz Beckenbauer served one term as head coach and one as caretaker. Lattek was the club's most successful coach, having won six Bundeslige titles, two DFB Cups and the European Cup; following closely is Ottmar Hitzfeld, who won five Bundeslige titles, two DFB cups and the Champions League. The club's least successful coach was Søren Lerby, who won less than a third of his matches in charge and presided over the club's near-relegation in the 1991–92 campaign.

The present manager, since July 2016, is Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid's former coach. On 20 December 2015, the club announced that Guardiola would not extend his contract beyond the end of the 2015–16 season. Carlo Ancelotti would be presented as his successor.

Recent seasons

The season-by-season performance of the club over the last ten years:

Rank = Rank in the Bundesliga; P = Played; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points; Cup = DFB-Pokal; EL = UEFA Europa League; CL = UEFA Champions League.
in = Still in competition; — = Not attended; 1R = 1st round; 2R = 2nd round; 3R = 3rd round; R16 = Round of sixteen; QF = Quarterfinals; SF = Semifinals.

In Europe

Reserve team

The reserve team serves mainly as the final stepping stone for promising young players before being promoted to the main team. The second team is coached by Heiko Vogel, assisted by Danny Schwarz and Rainer Ulrich. Since the inception of the Regionalliga in 1994, the team played in the Regionalliga Süd, after playing in the Oberliga since 1978. In the 2007–08 season they qualified for the newly founded 3. Liga, where they lasted until 2011 when they were relegated to the Regionalliga. This ended 33 consecutive years of playing in the highest league that the German Football Association permits the second team of a professional football team to play.

Junior teams

The youth academy has produced some of Europe's top football players, including Owen Hargreaves, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Müller and Bastian Schweinsteiger. The division was founded in 1902 and is run by Werner Kern and Björn Andersson. It consists of ten teams, with the youngest being under 9.

Women's team

The women's football department consists of five teams, including a professional team, a reserve team, and two youth teams. The women's first team, which is led by head coach Thomas Wörle, features several members of the German national youth team. In the 2008–09 season the team finished second in the women's Bundesliga. The division was founded in 1970 and consists of four teams with 90 players. Their greatest successes were winning the championships in 1976, 2015 and 2016. In the 2011–12 season on 12 May 2012, FC Bayern Munich dethroned the German Cup title holders 1. FFC Frankfurt with a 2–0 in the 2011–12 final in Cologne and celebrated the biggest success of the club's history since winning the championship in 1976. In 2015 they won the Bundesliga for the first time, without any defeat. They won the 2015–16 Bundesliga, for the second time in a row.

Senior football

The senior football department was founded in 2002, making it the youngest division of the club, and consists of five teams. The division is intended to enable senior athletes to participate in the various senior citizen competitions in Munich.

AllStars

The FC Bayern AllStars were founded in summer 2006, and consists of former Bayern players, including Klaus Augenthaler, Raimond Aumann, Andreas Brehme, Paul Breitner, Hans Pflügler, Stefan Reuter, Paulo Sérgio, and Olaf Thon. The team is coached by Wolfgang Dremmler, and plays matches with other senior teams around the world. For organisational reasons, the team can only play a limited number of games annually.

Other sports

Bayern has other departments for a variety of sports.

Basketball

The basketball department was founded in 1946, and currently contains 26 teams, including four men's teams, three women's teams, sixteen youth teams, and three senior teams. The men's team are three-time German champions, having won in 1954, 1955, and 2014. The team also won the German Basketball Cup in 1968.

Bowling

The bowling department emerged from SKC Real-Isaria in 1983 and currently consists of five teams. Directly next to the well-known club building of the football department, the team plays at the bowling alley of the Münchner Kegler-Verein. The first team plays in the second highest division of the Münchner Spielklasse Bezirksliga.

Chess

The department was created in 1908, and consists of nine teams, including seven men's teams and two women's teams. The men's team, which currently plays in the Chess Bundesliga following promotion in 2013 from the 2. Bundesliga Ost, was nine-time German Champion from 1983 to 1995. The team also won the European Chess Club Cup in 1992. The women play in the 2. Bundesliga, with their biggest success being the rise to the league in 2002.

Handball

The handball department was founded in 1945, and consists of thirteen teams, including three men's teams, two women's teams, five boys teams, two girls teams, and a mixed youth team. The first men's team plays in the Bezirksoberliga Oberbayern, while the women's first teams plays in the Bezirksliga Oberbayern.

Referees

The refereeing department was established in 1919 and is currently the largest football refereeing division in Europe, with 110 referees, with 2 of them women. The referees mainly officiate amateur games in the local Munich leagues.

Table tennis

The table tennis department was founded in 1946 and currently has 220 members. The club currently has fourteen teams, including eight men's teams, a women's team, three youth teams, and two children teams. The women's first team is currently playing in the Landesliga Süd/Ost, while the men's first team plays in the 3. Bundesliga Süd. The focus of the department is on youth support.

Baseball

The baseball division existed during the 1960s and 1970s, during which the team won two German championships, in 1962 and 1969.

Ice hockey

From 1966 to 1969 there existed an ice hockey team, which completed two seasons in the Eishockey-Bundesliga.

Gymnastics

The gymnastics department was founded in 1974 and were most successful in the 1980s. During this time, the team won four German championships in 1983, 1986, 1987, and 1988. In 2014, the division was dissolved.

Literature