Interview with Prof Dr Dieter Mayer on his 70th birthday | OneFootball

There are 486 notaries in Bavaria – only the very best graduates are granted a licence. Our senior vice-president, Professor Dieter Mayer, came to FC Bayern via his former profession. On his 70th birthday, we speak to him about his roots in Schwabing, pioneering decisions – and windsurfing.

The Interview with Professor Dr Dieter Mayer

We're having this conversation at Lake Garda, where you used to come to surf when you were younger – which is not unusual for people from Munich... Professor Dr Dieter Mayer: ”That's true, Lake Garda is a special place for many Munich residents. Back in the early days of my law studies, whenever we could, a few friends and I would pack an old VW bus and come here to surf. Lake Garda is well known for its consistently steady wind conditions: early in the morning, the north wind blows from the north shore to the south, and from midday onwards, the south wind blows from south to north. We didn't need much back then; I often just had a room without breakfast for nine Deutschmarks a night. My love for the lake has remained to this day. My wife and I come here regularly, especially since I retired. The surfing days are over – everything has its time – but now we enjoy hiking and a bit of mountain biking."

You were born in Munich – what was ‘your’ Munich like when you were growing up? ”I grew up on Isabellastraße in Schwabing and graduated from the Gisela-Gymnasium (grammar school) on Elisabethplatz. Back then, Schwabing was the place to be for young people from all over the world. It's hard to imagine today what it was like back then. The Beatles were there, along with everyone else who was anyone. My neighbourhood around Münchner Freiheit was the ultimate party mile."

You worked hard to earn your degree; please tell us about it. "My parents couldn't afford to pay for my studies. So every day at six in the morning, I would go to the post office for express deliveries on Dachauer Straße in Munich, deliver mail in a VW Beetle until nine, and then go to uni. It was a tough time, but the experience was very helpful for me."

How and when did football come into your life? "My father was an avid Bayern fan from the very beginning and always encouraged my passion for football. After school, I would do my homework and then go and play football in the English Garden, Luitpoldpark or Ungererbad. At 17, I made my first appearance for DSC München in the district league under the then coach and former Bayern player Jakob Drescher."

Pioneering decisions bear his signature – Dieter Mayer always has the big picture in mind.

When did your passion for FC Bayern come about? "During our first Bundesliga season in 1965, my father took me to the local derby against 1860 at the Grünwalder Stadion and handed me a Bayern flag, saying, 'We support the Reds because the Reds are the good guys!’ I'm very grateful to him for that to this day. My idols were Franz Beckenbauer, 'Bulle' Roth, Uli Hoeneß, and, a little later, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. I'll never forget, at the age of ten, marvelling at Beckenbauer at the World Cup in England. I've never seen another player play football with such elegance and ease."

You're considered a strategist in the club – but you yourself used to be a committed footballer, playing for the legendary Monday Kickers on Säbener Straße, among others. "To explain this, I need to go back a bit: at the end of 2001, the then vice-president Fritz Scherer, on the recommendation of Roland Berger, asked me to act as notary for the demerger of FC Bayern's professional division from the club. On 14 February 2002, the members approved the demerger – a pionieering decision without which the Allianz Arena would probably not exist and the club would not have written such an impressive success story over the past 20 years. For me, it was a dream come true: I was able to support my favourite club as a notary. This brought me closer to Beckenbauer, Uli Hoeneß, Rummenigge and Karl Hopfner, and one day Rummenigge asked me if I could play football. You can imagine that that's a difficult question to answer when it comes from a two-time European Footballer of the Year. But from then on, I had the privilege of taking to the pitch with my boyhood idols every Monday evening. I still joke today that they probably needed someone they could just run the ball past. We always played five vs. five with two small goals, and my main task was usually to defend our own goal – that pretty much sums up my playing style (smiles).

What was it like to stand on the pitch with these global stars? "I'll never foget my first game. Ahead of kick-off, I had introduced myself politely to everyone – the only one who ignored me was Hans Pflügler. Less than five minutes into the game, I went flying half a metre into the air. Pflügler helped me up and grinned at me: ‘And I'm Hans!’ From then on, I knew that this game was no picnic, but serious business, and that who won was of considerable importance."

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Do you actually have a favourite place at FC Bayern – one that has nothing to do with meetings? ”My favourite spot is, of course, in the Allianz Arena. Our executive committee, consisting of Herbert Hainer, Walter Mennekes and myself, sits directly in front of Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – and I can tell you one thing: no TV reporter's commentary can come close to providing the same level of information and entertainment value (smiles)."

As a notary, you deal with rules, clauses and precision – how much does this background help you in your role as vice-president? ”Well, as vice-president, I'm also responsible for the club's legal affairs, and as a member of the supervisory board of the AG, I'm constantly called upon to clarify legal issues. Sometimes people jokingly say, ‘Oh, you lawyers,’ but of course everyone understands that professional management of a global club requires compliance with a set of legal rules. Since I'm also responsible for the finances of the club, the basketball company, and, as chairman of the audit committee on the supervisory board, for monitoring the finances of the AG, my legal and business background is certainly helpful."

What motivates you personally to dedicate yourself to the club? ”As I already mentioned, I've loved FC Bayern since I was a child. Being able to serve this club is a matter close to my heart. I've been on the executive committee for 11 years now, and during that time FC Bayern has gained almost 200,000 members – a unique development. We have the best members and fans in the world, and our job is to ensure that they can always be proud of their club. In my view, it's also important that the club and the AG always act as units of a single club, despite the legal separation. We are all FC Bayern. It would be an honour for me if the administrative advisory board were to nominate me again for election to the executive committee, and I would be delighted if the members were to place their trust in me again at the AGM in early November."

What makes FC Bayern so special? "Its successes and titles, of course. But FC Bayern is much more than just sport. Behind the club lies a great tradition and a rich history with so many unique personalities and an incredibly strong club identity, characterised by ambition and professionalism, but above all by being a role model, by respect, open-mindedness, tolerance and diversity. It's our job in the executive committee to live these values permanently and to always be aware that we are only a very small part of the big picture."

The club has expanded its dialogue formats, launched its volunteer programme ‘PACK MA'S’ (LET'S DO THIS), actively promotes doing exercise, and is committed to diversity as part of the ‘Red against Racism’ initiative – is that what makes a club special today? "Yes, because FC Bayern has an obligation to live up to its social responsibility given its enormous popularity and wide reach. We can achieve a lot – in and through dialogue. With ‘PACK MA'S’, we want to involve volunteers in order to become even more socially engaged as a club. Volunteering is generally an important pillar in Germany – the hours worked here correspond to a double-digit billion figure annually in economic terms. Through our ‘Red Against Racism’ initiative, we regularly highlight our commitment to diversity and against discrimination of any kind. With all these formats, we want to live our philosophy: this club must be a home for people of all backgrounds."

Last summer, for example, you were in Seoul with South Korea's homeless team, and recently, during the Club World Cup in Charlotte you participated in a programme that supports socially disadvantaged people. "It's extremely important that FC Bayern has a presence wherever people in need can be helped. It's important to show that everyone is welcome at FC Bayern, regardless of their background. Social responsibility must always remain part of our club's DNA."

How do your friends actually see you in private – more as the structured planner, the notary, or the spontaneous bon vivant, the surfer? "(chuckles) I think that among my friends, I'm more of a spontaneous bon vivant – as we all know, the world is complicated enough as it is."

Is there anything you're good at that no-one would expect of Professor Dr Mayer – such as cooking or card tricks? "Well, the last time I cooked an ambitious meal was during what we might call the ‘courtship phase’ with my wife Christine – that was more than 46 years ago, and I believe she married me not because of, but in spite of my cooking skills. I'm deeply grateful to her and my family for their support over all these years. Music is similar to cooking. I usually start dancing when I'm ready – not when the beat dictates. I think I'm a pretty decent skier and chess player. Unfortunately, due to my long commitment to my career, many other things have fallen by the wayside. Now I'm at least taking the time to improve my Italian a little so I can order a glass of wine at Lake Garda."

Formerly a surfer on Lake Garda, now a strategist behind the scenes: Dieter Mayer has been on the executive committee for 11 years and also has a seat on the supervisory board.

What makes you laugh – and what can you laugh heartily about? "I can laugh at every joke my esteemed colleague Walter Mennekes tells – even though I've heard one or two of them dozens of times before. Walter is an indispensable part of the executive committee, and it's thanks to him and our president Herbert Hainer that our executive committee meetings always take place in a relaxed and jovial atmosphere, despite the often serious issues we discuss. This allows us to work together in a collegial and harmonious manner."

What are the executive committee's goals for the near future? "We want to further intensify the dialogue with our members and fans, because they are the heart of our club. Through our Stammtisch evenings, fan club meetings and other formats, we can always respond to wishes, suggestions and criticism in personal discussions. I think Herbert Hainer is a great example of this – it's marvellous to see how committed he is to talking to our fans and members. I'd also like to give a special thanks to our dedicated management team, including Benny Folkmann and Kiki Hasenpusch, who are doing an amazing job."

What are your personal wishes for FC Bayern in the future – as vice-president, but also as a fan? "I hope that FC Bayern remains successful in sporting terms and always stays true to itself. A club where football and its fans are always centre stage. A club where the commercialisation of football never obscures the true spirit of the game. A club that continues to embody the ‘Mia san mia’ spirit through self-confidence, pride, a sense of responsibility, solidarity and identification with its own tradition. If all that persists, I'll be happy – both as vice-president and as Dieter Mayer the fan."

The interview appeared in the current issue of the FC Bayern club magazine ‘51’.

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