Bundesliga champions FC Bayern Munich opened their Southeast Asia office in Bangkok yesterday.
Following Bayern's expansion to New York in 2014 and Shanghai in 2017, the City of Angels now becomes the hub for the club to solidify and expand their bond with football fans in Southeast Asia, India and Oceania through their active youth football programmes, events, campaigns and new partnerships.
Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn said: "We are extremely excited to open our office in Bangkok officially. Our roots are in Munich and Bavaria, but our goal is a sustainable, direct exchange with our fans around the world.
"Football connects people, and we're delighted to be able to make our club and what it stands for more tangible for the millions of supporters in Southeast Asia."
Andreas Jung, Bayern's board member for marketing, said: "The enthusiasm for football in Southeast Asia is overwhelming, and Bangkok is the ideal hub for this region. We already know from previous projects that the name FC Bayern strikes an excellent tone in Southeast Asia. We're looking forward to many joint campaigns with the fans and partners out here."
Maximilian Haschke, head of Southeast Asia at Bayern, added: "Bayern don't just want to be a partner from afar. For us, it's crucial to establish a direct connection to the fans through intense local exchange.
"The opening of our office was preceded by over a year of intense preparations in Bangkok to get off to the best possible start."
There are currently 39 Bayern fan clubs in Southeast Asia.
The opening of Bayern Munich's Bangkok office builds upon a foundation already established in the region.
Bayern played a match in Singapore in 2017 and took on the Thai national team in a friendly in Bangkok in 2000.