July 2 – Bayern Munich, who opened their first international office in New York five years ago, have hit the 150 official fan club mark across 43 states in North America.
Bayern’s first fan club was opened in 1995 in Martinsville, New Jersey, and by 2014 there were eight in the US. Bayern accelerated the growth using its in-house media infrastructure to identify and engage with fans.
The digital and fan services-focused strategy saw the club communicate with fans daily “with the aim of localizing and personalizing their relationship with the club”, said a Bayern press release. The digital strategy has been backed up the regular pre-season presence of Bayern in the US.
“Exactly five years ago we opened our first international office in New York to grow our fan base, support the growth of soccer on and off the field and form mutually beneficial partnerships,” said Jörg Wacker, Bayern Munich’s Executive Board Member for Internationalisation and Strategy. “This July, for the fourth time since we’ve been here, our team will return for a U.S. summer tour, highlighting our commitment to bringing the club closer to fans in this region,” he added.
To celebrate this landmark, Bayern will light the iconic Allianz Arena in Munich with the US flag and the number 150 on July 4.
“This is truly a special moment for us. Reaching 150 fan clubs in North America, which is such a vibrant and competitive sports and entertainment market, is a momentous achievement,” commented FC Bayern Munich’s President of the Americas, Rudolf Vidal. “Our fan-first ethos has allowed us to build one of the world’s greatest sports families,” he added.
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