BAYERN FAMILY February 2025
At 15, Lars Voigt was the youngest participant in the discussion – diversity and inclusion are particularly important to his generation.
FC Bayern‘ s commitment to issues such as diversity and inclusion is incredibly important. If a player were to refuse to take part in a campaign involving the colours of the rainbow, I assume FC Bayern would seek a dialogue with them and in so doing, stand up for the club‘ s values. When it comes to inclusion, FC Bayern does a lot more than other clubs, which I think is great, because everyone should be able to be part of the club. For me, FC Bayern is the absolute frontrunner in this respect. HH: We don‘ t just want to be number 1 in the table. Frau Neumeier and Frau Meixner, who came along as her companion and is also a member – what do you say when a young person like Herr Voigt focuses on your issue of inclusion? Ingrid Neumeier: For me as someone directly affected, it‘ s simply wonderful and very impressive – I would like to thank you very much for also focusing on people with disabilities, as well as the issue of diversity. I have to praise FC Bayern in general. I‘ ve been a Bayern fan for 25 years and I don‘ t think the general public is aware of everything this club does in terms of inclusion … Andrea Meixner: … just walking into the Allianz Arena, you immediately feel included. As a native of Karlsruhe, I‘ m happy to be at Bayern now – it‘ s unique. HH: You have after all been in the best of company from home for years: Oliver Kahn joined us from Karlsruhe, Mehmet Scholl, Michael Sternkopf, Oliver Kreuzer, Thorsten Fink, Michael Tarnat … Andrea Meixner: They all followed me here( laughs)! HH: And you, Frau Neumeier, have lots of autographs on your FCB jersey.
The love in the detail: a close-up of the FCB décor on Ingrid Neumeier‘ s wheelchair.
FC BAYERN IS THE FRONTRUNNER WHEN IT COMES TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION – EVERY- ONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE PART OF THE CLUB
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Lars Voigt
Ingrid Neumeier: My pride and joy, Giovane Élber is on it, along with many others. That‘ s from the days of the Olympiastadion. Lars, I would like to say to you once again: Stick to your guns regarding your views! And FC Bayern is a real role model in this respect. I say to every person with a disability: Come to FC Bayern! I can draw comparisons with other clubs – Bayern is doing something extraordinary when it comes to inclusion, it‘ s simply marvellous. Our [ wheelchair fan club ] Rollwagerl eV has now celebrated its 30th anniversary, and we all feel absolutely at home at FC Bayern. Ewald Manz: The fact that FC Bayern stands for its values is important to me. I think this discussion is hugely appreciated today. You feel like part of the family, you’ re listened to and taken on board, the club has developed terrific discussion formats. It‘ s easy for me to be proud of my FC Bayern. I used to be a centre-back, my role model was Katsche Schwarzenbeck, and I remember us all sitting in the trees as children to watch an FC Bayern friendly in our neighbourhood near Hoffenheim. Unfortunately, I missed out on becoming a member at the time – otherwise I would have a membership number similar to Herr Lunzner’ s. I even took time off from school back then, and we travelled to Belgrade, Moscow and Split. To this day, everything at home is decorated with Bayern merchandise. I also think it‘ s terrific how the club is in tune with the zeitgeist. Tradition doesn‘ t exclude modern influences. And that brings us back to the values: the club grows with the challenges. HH: As an organisation, how do you pass on values to the next generation? Ewald Manz: By exemplifying them. That‘ s what FC Bayern does. A club should convey movement, for body and mind. You have a common set of values that can be used as a guide across generations. Lisa Duregger: I think this exchange of views here today is terrific because young and old are talking about FC Bayern together. It gives Lars and me a lot of exciting insights. That‘ s how a club should work, by bringing people together. And when it comes to the values that Lars mentioned, we’ re on the same page across the generations. HH: Herr Riegel, you took part in our members‘ Schafkopf tournament … How important is tradition? Christoph Riegel: Playing Schafkopf was the icing on the cake, because tradition is an important hallmark of FC Bayern. But I also agree with Herr Manz that FC Bayern manages to move with the times, be it with the ″ Red against Racism“ initiative or by seeking dialogue with its members. I read the article on the website about the Stammtisch at St Pauli last week, where a gentleman from the far north said that he gets goosebumps
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