Club Crawl: Red White Spirit Taichung

FC Bayern fan clubs from around the world each celebrate their fandom in unique yet familiar ways. We are giving these clubs the opportunity to share their stories and experiences. So far on our journey, we have traveled to North America (Toronto, Washington DC, San Diego and Miami), Asia (India) and South America (Brazil and Argentina).

Marc

April 10, 2019

In this edition we are heading to Taiwan where we spoke to the president of Red White Spirit Taichung, Yu-Ming Tsai, about how their club supports FC Bayern from 9,325 km away.

Location	Mai Sir Taichung City, Taiwan
Founding Year	2017
Active Members	48
Social Media	Facebook

Tell us the story of how your fan club was founded and what the fan club means to you and your members.

Red White Spirit Taichung (RWST), Bayern’s official fan club in Taichung, Taiwan, was founded in 2017 and was devised by Mr. Lien Wen-Shuo. After attending the Audi Summer Tour 2015 in Shanghai, Mr. Lien established RWST with the help of the Hong Kong Bayern fan club two years later. Yu-Ming Tsai has served as the president from the beginning. There are currently about 48 fan club members. They are not only from Taichung but also from many beautiful cities in Taiwan, Such as Taipei, Kaohsiung, Hualien, Nantou, etc. The members have become close and often discuss what is going on in each other’s lives in the group chats and sometimes even arrange dinner parties together. Of course, we also gather together at a sports bar to watch matches to cheer for the club together. We are now in our second year and it feels more like a family than a football fan club.

**RWST enjoy matches at Mai-Sir, a German themed bar in downtown Taichung.**
Image: Red White Spirit Taichung

Where and how do you watch Bayern games? Do you have special traditions (e.g. chants, food, beer, etc.) that you follow on matchday?

We usually watch our matches at Mai-Sir German style beer bar in downtown Taichung. Because of time limitations, we try to gather together at least once a month. When Bayern are playing, our members celebrate every Bayern goal by roaring the “Super Bayern Hey Hey” or sing other famous chants and scream very loudly till the match is over. It feels like being at the Allianz Arena.

**Meeting club legends like Brazzo and Miro at the Audi Summer tour in Singapore was a highlight for many members of RWST.**
Image: Red White Spirit Taichung

What has been your best experience as a fan so far?

Some of our members went to the International Champions Cup Asia tour in Singapore 2017. We were very honored and excited to have the opportunity to take photos side by side with Klose, Uli, Rummenigge, etc. That trip really means a lot to us and we have some great memories.

How often do you or your fan club members come to Munich?

Some of us have been to Allianz Arena to watch a live match, but most of us haven’t. We hope that in the near future we can organize a trip with members from the fan club. We are looking forward to the moment when the flag of RWST can be seen being waved inside our real home, the Allianz Arena.

**RWST members had fun recreating the famous picture of the Bayern players after their Super Cup victory last year.**
Image: Red White Spirit Taichung

What do your family and friends think about you watching all those Bayern games early in the morning/late at night?

I think for many of us, going to bed early and getting up early on a Champions League match day has become our normal. Because Champions League matches start in the middle night in Taiwan, we are often ridiculed by our family and friends. They always wonder why we are so crazy to follow what is an unpopular sport in Taiwan. For us however, it’s just our beloved sport, no matter what others think about it.

How did you become a Bayern supporter in the first place?

I began to support the club when I saw Oliver Kahn, Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose play during the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Since 2002, I became a Die Mannschaft fan and I started to follow FC Bayern München in 2006, the club team they all played for.

**The members of RWST already feel more like a family than a football club.**
Image: Red White Spirit Taichung

What differentiates Bayern from other European clubs in your opinion?

I think what differentiates FC Bayern from other clubs in Europe is their unyielding character as well as their champion’s demeanor. We all know that the club often wins the championship, but what impresses me is that they have maintained that level of success through different eras.

**Despite the very late, or early depending on your point of view, hours that matches air, members of RWST show up to support their team and have fun while doing it.**
Image: Red White Spirit Taichung

Do you interact with other fan clubs and if yes, how?

Yes and many thanks to the FC Bayern HK Fans Club. We’ve had a good relationship with the Hong Kong fan club since we started. Their generous help and advice enabled us to establish our fan club quicker and easier. They also generously sent some gifts to our founding celebration last winter. RWST is the second official fan club in Taiwan, but just like the FC Bayern HK Fans Club, we are the first to really create a friendship for the group that goes beyond watching games together. The people in our club are now friends who found each other through their love of Bayern. We have become a family.

Join us for our next segment of “Club Crawl” as we continue to explore FC Bayern fan clubs around the world and learn the unique ways that they support the club.