For the love of FC Bayern: The Red Wood Cats’ big heart and their trip to London

FC Bayern fans travel from all over the world to support their team at away matches – even if it takes them hundreds of kilometres through snow and cold. We want to get to know those who spare no effort or expense to see their beloved Bayern away from the Allianz Arena a little better: our away fans with their special stories, their love and their passion for FC Bayern.

It’s packed at Buckingham Palace in the UK capital this morning. Tourists jostle in front of the official residence of the king in search of the best photo opportunity. Amongst them: Bavarian red and white, FC Bayern jerseys and fan scarves - a group from the Red Wood Cats fan club take photos and stroll along the majestic forecourt of the palace. In the evening, FC Bayern will play Arsenal in north London. "Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Naples, Rome, Glasgow, Turin, Istanbul, Manchester," lists Erhard Witt, "we've actually been everywhere. Only London was still missing."

Whenever they get tickets, they set off from Nördlingen, Gerd Müller's home town, into the football world. Sometimes they travel all night in a coach with 80 fans and return home straight after the final whistle. Sometimes, like on this November day in London, they take a plane with 14 people from Munich or Nuremberg to the city of FC Bayern's next Champions League opponents for a few days. "Why do we do it?" asks Cornelia Beck, almost incredulously: "Because it's love."

From watching football in the fire station out into the wider football world

It was their love of football and FC Bayern that brought them all together when the idea of founding a fan club was born on a fun evening in the summer of 2009. There were 60 of them watching football in the village's fire station, nicknamed ‘Die Holzkatzen’ (The Wooden Cats), and the Red Wood Cats now have around 1,500 members of all ages, "from big to small", as Erhard proudly notes. The trio of Maier, Beckenbauer and Müller got him hooked back then and never let him go. Manuel “Grüni” Grüneis took his father to the Olympiastadion a few times and Cornelia had a bit of a crush on Wiggerl Kögel as a young girl. "Whether at home or away - it's a great atmosphere and a special community around FC Bayern," says Cornelia. You can feel it immediately at Buckingham Palace too: other Bayern fans turn up, they already know each other - or they get to know each other. Everyone feels welcome, there's a special attitude to life that unites people across all (language) borders.

But it's not just the football, the friends and the travelling that makes her love of FC Bayern special: Grüni says the fan club has donated well over €300,000 to social causes of all kinds in the 16 years it's been in existence: "That's actually our main strength: being there for others," says the board member. "That's Mia san mia in action," says Cornelia. Above all, they have a soft spot for children: They take over 300 young people to Skyline Park together or lend their bouncy castle with the Red Wood Cats logo to the local kindergarten for their summer party. Most recently, they baked Christmas cookies and organised a children's raffle "where every single child wins. That's us, that's important to us," says Grüni.

Fan love unites, inspires and creates experiences

After all the impressive buildings such as Tower Bridge, Big Ben or Westminster Abbey, the red double-decker buses, the highlight of the evening was of course the Champions League thriller against Arsenal. Even though FCB lost 3-1, the story of the Red Wood Cats shows once again that true fan love knows no boundaries - it unites, inspires and turns every away trip into a unique experience.

Check out our analysis of the match between Arsenal and FC Bayern: