Bayern Munich & Basketball?

The German football giants FC Bayern Munich are not only a football club, but a general sports club with different sporting divisions in basketball, bowling, chess, gymnastics, handball and table tennis. And Bayern Munich have had success in most of these sports over the years, but the football division is the biggest within the club and at the forefront of the clubs global appeal.

But their latest focus in sports is on basketball where Bayern had their golden days many decades back by winning the German Championship in 1954 and 1955 plus the German Cup in 1968. Currently Bayern Munich play in the second division Basketball Bundesliga (ProA), but this summer they have made a number of signings to clearly show their intentions of willing to not only move into the premier division, but challenge for the title in the coming years.

One of the key signings has been that of German Basketball national coach Dirk Bauermann and he has been given the task to build a team which can move up this season into the Bundesliga, then challenge for the German title in the coming years and in four/five years can play at the top level in Europe besides clubs like FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Olympiacos Piräus, Panathinaikos Athens, CSKA Moscow, etc; whom we all know better for their football teams rather then their exploits on the basketball courts.

Bayern Munich have not only brought in an experienced man Bauermann as a their coach, but also German Basketball national team captain Steffen Hamann plus other Bundesliga experienced players like Demond Greene, Aleksandar Nadjfeji, Daruis Hall, Beckham Wyrick and Artur Kolodziejski. "Mission Aufsteig" (Mission Promotion) is on its way and Bayern will be spending some money to make their basketball one of the best in Germany, if not like in football the best in a few years time.