Bayern Munich

Academy Way
A scendency comes in many forms. For one club, ascendency includes twenty-four
domestic league titles, seventeen DFB-Pokal titles and four German Super Cup titles. But
in what form does dominance reveal itself? Five European Cups, one UEFA Cup, one
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and
one FIFA Club World Cup. This is FC Bayern München.

Bayern Munich, long one of German and world football’s goliaths, has entered a phase of
unprecedented success in domestic and continental football, and as a global brand. The
Bavarian giants share a common modus operandi with the world’s elite football clubs –
and then some. For a club so synonymous with German footballing lore, Bayern Munich
the club literally embodies football development.

In 1963, when the regional Oberligas combined and consolidated to form the Bundesliga,
Bayern Munich were not among the five teams from the Oberliga Süd (Oberliga South)
to enter the Bundesliga as another Munich team. TSV 1860 München, captured the
championship. A mere two years later, in 1963, Bayern Munich gained promotion with
some exceptional young players like Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Peter
Kupferschmidt, Rainer Ohlhauser, Rudolf Nafziger and Sepp Maier.

Excellence is no accident and Bayern Munich has set the standard in total player
development. It comes as no surprise that Bayern, a club that boasts a rich history of
success on the field at the senior level, understands the intricacies of building from the
ground-up. The development that takes place at the Säbener Strasse youth academy
extends far beyond football drills. At any given time, the Bayern Munich has
approximately 170-190 players in the youth program.

A club that has produced the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Markus Babbel, Holger
Badstuber, Dietmar Hamann, Philipp Lahm, Mats Hummels, Toni Kroos, Thomas
Müller, Emre Can and David Alaba champions its cause to be the most successful club
domestically whilst providing the bulk of the talent in the national side ranks at every age
group. Matthias Sammer, sporting director at Bayern understands the reality of the global
game:

“In football, it’s not about egos, it’s about success. World class has to be our benchmark.
Based on my experience, German football needs to grasp very quickly that we simply
cannot use a standard approach when it comes to dealing with players.”

Bayern Munich’s philosophy typifies qualities like excellence, perfection, attention to

detail, unity, diversity and innovation. The club motto, Mia san Mia, translates to ‘We are
who we are’ and in football there is perhaps no greater truth. Teams, players and coaches
are defined by style but ultimately remembered by results. Bayern Munich’s dominance
starts from the ground work at the academy. In 1995, Karl-Heinz Rumminegge and Uli
Hoeness set out to restructure the standard of football played at Bayern Munich and in
doing so came to the prophetic realisation that the best academies in the world train their
core players instead of just buying new ones.

That realization accomplished two defining principles that have both allowed Bayern
Munich to not only rise to the top, but stay there as well. The first concept was fiscal
responsibility. It simply makes better business sense to develop talent rather than depend
on development schemes and systems from other clubs to create a player that fit the
club’s needs. Secondly,Die Roten realised that to dominate domestic and European
football, it needed players who were groomed to be technically and tactically adept while
playing the Bayern Munich way; it means living and breathing the club’s tradition,
philosophy, and mentality on and off the pitch.

The new era of youth development at Bayern is the culmination of some of the best
coaches, technical directors, and players in German football. In the early-2000s, when
German football hit rock bottom and revamped its national program and initiative,
Bayern Munich’s director of youth football, Werner Kern, was not shy in vision for
building establishing one of the best football academies in the world:

“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.”

It should be duly noted that Germany’s ascension to the pinnacle of the game coincides
with the Bayern Munich’s revamped system. Such visions into total football development
mirror those of other football clubs noted for their unique and successful methodology for
player development like Ajax and Barcelona. At Bayern Munich, players are scouted
first in the region surrounding Munich and then in the rest of the southern portion of the
country. The goal is to attract and retain local talent before the search is extended. The
club also uses Talent Day, a mass weekend tryout for admission into the academy.
Evaluations are rigorous, involving 500 players from all over Germany and the world;
seven players from that group will make it to the Bayern Munich Junior Team.

Current manager of the Bayern Munich junior team, Wolfgang Dremmler – another
former Bayern star – asks the pertinent questions and details the procedure for such an
event:

“Does the boy put his heart and soul into his football? How good is his movement, how
are his skills in terms of coordination? It’s quite easy to recognize 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 and there are no trophies to hand out. Fun,
emotion and desire are the only things that matter.”

Players in the academy play age-appropriate football. The youngest groups, under-7 to
under-10, play on condensed pitches in seven-a-side formations. Goalkeepers are made to
play in small-sided matches to increase their technical proficiency and confidence with
the ball at their feet. To create complete players, youngsters are made to play a variety of
positions while learning the fundamentals of the game well before any tactical
implementation takes place.

At this level, teams often set up in a 2-3-1-1 formation. At Bayern Munich, the belief is a
player must be able to play well enough without tactical rigidity if he has any hope of
playing within a tactical framework. At the under-12 level, 11-v-11 is played and the
sides deploy a 4-3-3 formation.

At the under-15 level, players who live far from the training ground will join residency.
During residency at Säbener Strasse, players continue their formal academic education
and have access to the physiotherapists, doctors, staff, and other teams within the club
structure. At this level, the players will continue to play the type of football expected of
them from the senior team and as a result, this is the transitioning point where
development goes from bottom-up to top-down.

Players must look to play possession-based football and constant movement and is the
standard. The barometer for quality is seldom the score line, but rather the style and
fluidity of the football on display. Efficiency is trained into the players to eliminate
needless and reckless running. The team operates as unit as players understand their role
is to serve the team over themselves. Passes are counted, consistent with Pep
Guardiola’s belief that 10 to 15 passes must be made to start an attack from the back
through the midfield. Ball circulation has become a staple of Bayern Munich’s football
and possession is the team’s best form of defence and attack. When the ball is lost, the
team presses to recover possession and begins circulating the ball and probing for
attacking opportunities.

Training is age-specific but the competition for the young sides is often against older
teams to provide a comprehensive and challenging competitive environment for players
in Bayern’s youth system to compete against each year. Another aspect is the hyper-
organization the club uses to categorize players in a multitude of competencies. Players
are identified as leaders, role players (who can play a variety of positions with
proficiency), and squad players. Part of the categorising exercise is to assess the targeted
growth plans for each age division, each position, and as an individual – all while using
one system of play consistent with senior team so there are no surprises when players are
integrated into the first team.

The three-pronged approach ensures complete and holistic development. A player who
falls short of being able to excel in his development will likely not succeed at Bayern
Munich, however that player will be successful elsewhere, which is a success for the
club, too. It does neither the club nor the player any good to be retained if the player will
not play.

This meticulous approach also guarantees players are part of the machine. Players fit the
system; the system does not fit the player. As such, individualized coaching is provided
for each player as they are ultimately investments. Coaches analyze character, footballing
ability, capacity to learn complex systems of play, growth potential, the ability to handle
difficulty while absorbing skills, honing technique, and maximizing a player’s mental and
athletic output. Part of the evaluation process is personality testing where players are
assessed in areas including confidence, sensitivity, arrogance and humility.

To succeed at Bayern Munich, players must balance the pressure of playing for the
Bavarian giants while performing under the scrutiny that comes with being a part of one
of world football’s giant clubs. On the footballing front, the education Bayern Munich
instills in its players revolves around versatility, intelligence, technical and physical
dominance on the pitch.

Players have access to the senior team’s training session and see how the players under
Pep Guardiola’s tutelage operate and carry themselves. The intention is to show them
what the finished product looks like. Youth players often join the senior team in training
camps. According to Matthias Sammer:
“They need to take a chance, don’t be scared and go for it. They’ve got fully involved,
they’re improving day-by-day and have integrated really well. Integration on its own isn’t
enough to make it. You’ve got to do more as a young player.”

The approach is certainly working at Germany’s premier football club.

By Jon Townsend. Follow @jon_townsend3

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