Bayern Munich Junior Team

Andreas Ottl is a graduate of the Bayern Munich youth system

Bayern Munich youth system, created in 1902 and restructured in 1995 has created some of Germany's top talent which includes Andreas Ottl, Philipp Lahm and Thomas Hitzlsperger. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 1902 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Andreas Ottl Andreas Ottl (born March 1, 1985 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany) is a German footballer who currently plays as a defensive midfielder for Bayern Munich. ... Philipp Lahm (born November 11, 1983 in Munich, Bavaria) is a German footballer who currently plays as a defender for Bayern Munich. ... Thomas Hitzlsperger (born 5 April 1982 in Forstinning, Germany) is a midfielder for VfB Stuttgart. ...

Bayern Munich has had a youth section for most of it's existence but in 1995 it was restructured and the youth teams became collectively known as The Junior Team. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and then-manager, former Bayern and Germany star, Uli Hoeness, were dissatisfied with the level of ball being played in Germany's top league. They questioned the effectiveness of the current youth system and set out to find ways to recruit and train better young players. Basically, they came to the conclusion that it would make more sense to train new players rather than buy them. Saving money in the transfer market was not their primary consideration. It made sense to develop young talent not only technically and tactically, but also, and just as importantly, in the Bayern Munich tradition, philosophy, and mindset. This was the way to become the best club team in the world.Their conceptualizations were to raise the level of the youth system to that of other professional development leaders, most notably, AFC Ajax of Amsterdam. The winds of change had begun to blow. FC Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer agreed unreservedly and knighted them with the responsibility of supplying the First team with players from within their own youth system. Bayern Munich or FC Bayern (German: FC Bayern München) is a German football club. ... Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (born September 25, 1955) was a German football player. ... This article describes the mens leagues. ... Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also referred to as Ajax Amsterdam, AFC Ajax, or simply Ajax (pronounced Ah-yahx), is a football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands. ... Franz Beckenbauer Franz Beckenbauer (born September 11, 1945) is a famous German football player, coach and manager, nicknamed der Kaiser (the emperor) because of his elegant style, his leadership qualities and his domination on the football pitch. ...

Werner Kern

The Junior Team is run by Werner Kern who has been responsible for the program for the last 4 of the 7 years of its existence. Werner Kern began his career with Bayern Munich in the early 70's, as assistant to the First team and it was during this time when Kern identified one of the greatest players to ever play at the club and for Germany: the current vice-president and Bayern icon, Karl-Heinz Rumminegge. Mr. Kern eventually went onto head coaching positions at various first and second division clubs in the Bundesliga before being lured away from the coaching ranks by the Germany-based sporting goods giant, Adidas, in 1983. He accepted the position of International Football Promotions Director, which involved assisting in organizing 3 World Cups and was responsible for managing contracts for high-profile player sponsorship agreements including that of his former prodigy Karl-Heinz Rumminegge. It was Rumminegge who convinced his mentor to leave Adidas in 1998 and return to FC Bayern as Junior Team director. He is quick to tell you it is the best job he has ever had. It was Kern who established the current youth development philosophy at FCB. 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

The Junior Team Philosophy

The vision for the Junior Team is simple: to educate young players so that it will be possible for FCB to keep a global position in club football in the next millennium. Its mission, like the German style of play, is aggressive: To have the best youth development in club football.The plan encompasses scouting, educating, and training the most talented players to be found by implementing structures, and establishing infrastructures in the technical, administrative, and human areas, as well as, creating an attractive and positive atmosphere for staff and players. This is all done, Kern says, by understanding the human and social requirements of the staff and the players. The cornerstone of the uberalles Bayern philosophy seems to be strength, both mental and physical and it extends deep into the Junior Team. In order to establish the Best football Education it must have the best of everything: the best coaches, the best team environment, the best age-oriented challenges, the best training conditions and equipment, as well as, the best medical and physiotherapeutic treatment.

Talent Days

Finding the best players is not always easy, even for a high profile club such as FCB. As part of it's restructuring in the mid 90's, the club established its junior talent days, which is an annual tryout, held at the Sabener Strasse complex. After seeing the success Ajax was having with a similar concept, Bayern implemented a comparable program. Over a weekend in the spring, upwards of 500 boys between the ages of six and ten are invited to the club to play small-sided games in front of 20 FCB training staff. When it is all done a new FCB Junior Team will have been selected. Wolfgang Dremmler, head scout at FCB: "Before we started the event several years ago, most of the kids we recruited for our youngest junior teams came from the immediate vicinity. The recruitment was unstructured, somebody simply brought someone else along. Then we went and had a look at Ajax Amsterdam's trial days, and we decided to do the same thing at Bayern. Now we get to select players for our teams according to certain criteria which apply to this age group, and the whole thing has been very successful. As things stand, we wouldn't need to advertise the event any more, as mouth-to-mouth propaganda alone would mean all the places were filled." What does the Junior Team look for? "Does the boy put his heart and soul into his football?? Dremmler asks, How good is his movement, how are his skills in terms of co-ordination? It's quite easy to recognise things like that. You see it during the games, exactly how a boy conducts himself and the energy he puts in. We don't specifically test any technical skills, no one has to go dribbling through cones. We just let the kids play, with or without a goalkeeper, without a dead-ball line - just like it is in the streets. There is nothing to win, there are no trophies to hand out. Fun, emotion and desire are the only things that matter." Where the kids come from plays an important role, of course. Nowadays we attract participants from all over Germany, and this year we have two kids coming from Japan. We've also had participants from America. But it goes without saying we don't want any family to relocate on our account. So of course, when we make our final choice, we make sure they're not living too far away from Munich." "There are around 500 kids being watched from the touchline by 20 of us. At the end, we get together and share our impressions, and decide on the players who, in our opinion, are in contention. Then, the next step is to write to the parents. Every participant gets a written report from us afterwards, by the way. Then we apply for a playing permit, and the kids are eligible to play for our youth teams. Last year we picked seven players, which is generally about average - basically one full seven-a-side team. Out of 183 players in our Junior team organisation, 23 were discovered on talent days. The oldest of them is currently in the under-15s. In total, around 6500 kids have taken part in our talent days so far." Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also referred to as Ajax Amsterdam, AFC Ajax, or simply Ajax (pronounced Ah-yahx), is a football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands. ...

Younger

Altogether there are about 180 youth players, divided into 12 teams of players ages 6 through 18. Team rosters remain unchanged from the beginning of the season to the end, and, like Ajax Amsterdam, each player is trained exclusively for one or two positions. The youth teams are separated by birth year and it is possible to play up if the player is capable. Six of the 11 youth teams play regularly against opponents two or three years older. This makes even greater demands on them, both physically and psychologically. The teams and their opponents are as follows:

• A1 Team: South Regional League (ages 17-18)
• B1 Team: South Bavarian League (ages 15-16)
• B2 Team (ages 15-16): County League A Teams (ages 17-18)
• C1 Team (age 14): County League B Teams (ages 15-16)
• C2 Team (age 13): District League C1 Teams (age 14)
• D1 Team (age 12): County League C Teams (ages 13-14)
• D2 Team (age 11): County League D Teams (ages 12-13)
• E1 Team (age 10): E1 Teams (age 10)
• E2 Team (age 9): E1 Teams (age 10)
• F1 & F2 Teams: F1 & F2 Teams (ages 7-8)

A modern playing system was developed specifically for the new Junior Team, in order to give them a solid understanding of the game as quickly as possible. All players aged 10 through 18 - that is, all ages that play with teams of 11 on a standard-size field-practice this system. The younger players, who play 7 vs. 7 on smaller fields, do not. All youth teams wear the same Adidas uniforms as the professional team with the only difference being a Junior Team logo, designed by Karl-Heinz Rummaging himself, on the sleeve where the fist team bares the Bundesliga logo. There are four practices every week, plus two extra practices for the 14- to 18-year-olds.

Older

The clubs scouting network is extensive, with scouts located not only all over Germany and Europe, but the world. The game is so competitive at the highest level that top clubs always have there eyes open for players with potential for the professional level. The reality is, however, that the scouts focus mainly on the area within a 2 ?3 hour driving radius of the club. Players must be able to commute to training easily. The Junior Team has housing for talent from abroad, but for only 13 players and it is unusual that the club will take a player into residency before the age of 14 ? most players are at least 16. If a player is considered for residency, the club understands it is a big step for the player and his family and the club accepts full responsibility for the care of the young player. Academics is a good example: the club employs six teachers that are responsible for monitoring the schoolwork of the youth players in all the major subjects and even offers a German language teacher for players from abroad. Players who don?t keep up in the classroom are not permitted to train or play. "We can't promise their parents that one day they'll play professionally for FC Bayern," says Mr. Kern, "but we can promise that they won't neglect their studies." The older players keep a busy week. Six training session each week, academic classes and homework, or for some, job training. When the weekend arrives it will be at least one match, or occasionally travel abroad for international tournaments. Some people think this is to much for a youth player to handle, but remember this is Bayern Munich. "The more intensively youth players work, the better they get," says Franz Beckenbauer. "We see this with the so-called small countries all the time: Their players aren't superhuman; they just work unbelievably hard. Here in Germany it can be very difficult to break through the mental conditioning against wanting to work harder." The youth coaches also meet regularly to compare notes with their counterparts from the First team. "We have a very good relationship with the professional coaches," Dremmler says. "No doubt about it: FC Bayern does a lot for its youth!" The Junior Team trainers understand that their role is not to simply train their players. Their job is to produce players capable of competing at the highest level and they offer their charges every opportunity to succeed. As an added enticement for older youth players, Ottmar Hitzfeld, the head coach of the first team at FCB, invites 2 or 3 players, who are playing well, to train and play with the First team. One can only wonder what a moment that must be for a young player to step onto the field with his heroes. Older (16-18 year olds) players do get paid, but it is not what some may think. Players are allocated 200 to 300 marks ($100-$150) per month. "We don't want to send them down that financial road too soon," says Wolfgang Dremmler, who is also responsible for scouting for the adult teams; "otherwise they develop the wrong priorities. If a player is good and proves he can contribute to the club, then he'll get plenty of opportunities to earn money later on." Older Junior Team players who have played well enough to remain in the system through ages 16-18 are under no illusions of how easy or difficult it will be to make that final jump to full-time professional player. They are constantly reminded there are no guarantees. Werner Kern: "We have an exceptional set of demands here. You have to be a player of international class. Ottmar Hitzfeld simply doesn't have the opportunity to experiment with young players. We are under far too much pressure to succeed." IfBayern's success rate continues with the Junior Team, a focused youth player also knows that if you want to go pro, there is no better place to receive your youth player education than at FCB. If Bayern does not retain one of it?s youth players as a professional then he is up for grabs from any other club who may be interested in him. "There is no better shop window than our reserves. There were 100 scouts in the stands for our game against Burghausen. Each and every one of them knows that Bayern players have had an exceptional football education."

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