On Monday, March 13, Los Angeles Football Club and Bayern Munich announced a global soccer development cooperation named “Red & Gold Football,” which will provide a platform for young talent featuring high-level development and a pathway to first team soccer. The initiative sees the European powerhouse and powerhouse and reigning Major League Soccer champions set up a joint venture based in Munich.
“A partnership of this magnitude is the next step in our evolution as a Club,” LAFC Co-President & General Manager John Thorrington said. “We are extremely excited to work together with FC Bayern to identify and develop young talent in Southern California and beyond and believe this relationship will provide players throughout our systems the ability to maximize their potential and see a clear pathway to first team football.”
Not only is Torrington delighted about this massive partnership. But former Bayern Munich goalkeeper and German football executive Oliver Kahn is also delighted about the new project.
“On an international level, soccer is developing rapidly, which is also evident in the transfer market,” He said “We see this partnership as an opportunity to strengthen FC Bayern in the sporting competition with the best clubs in Europe and the Bundesliga.”
LAFC and FC Bayern each own 50 percent of the shares of “Red & Gold Football”. The joint venture envisions further cooperation with other soccer teams and development academies throughout the world as part of a global development initiative.
This new project is not new for Bayern as they opened their first international office in New York in 2014 with the goal of supporting the growth of football in the United States. Following the success of the first international venture. The Bavarian club opened offices in China in March 2017 and Thailand in April 2022.
Now that the World Cup in 2026 is going to be hosted in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. The MLS soccer teams will try to develop more younger players, send them to Europe, and make the United States National Team strong and ready to compete for the World Cup. Meanwhile, teams like Bayern will remain competitive and recruit other players from around the world.
“FC Bayern will expand its promotion of young talent with Los Angeles Football Club. On an international level, soccer is developing rapidly, which is also evident in the transfer market. We see this partnership as an opportunity to strengthen FC Bayern in the sporting competition with the best clubs in Europe and the Bundesliga. The fact that the 2026 World Cup will largely take place in the USA, where we already have an office in New York, makes Los Angeles even more attractive. I expect a boost in quality and young talent in Major League Soccer, which will have a positive impact on our partnership,” said Kahn.
It looks clear LAFC wants to evolve and grow every year. Now that club is worth 1 billion dollars, changing the stadium name and now working with Bayern shows they are moving in the right direction.
“This is a truly special moment for LAFC,” LAFC Co-President & CBO Larry Freedman said. “We look forward to working together with our partner FC Bayern to not only develop talent and continue to grow our sport and our brand on the global stage but to share best practices and improve our organizations off the pitch as well.”
