Bayern Munich Saved Dortmund - Hoeness

[StanSP]

Unbelievable gesture of good will from Bayern. Can't see it happening over here!

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has revealed that his club gave Borussia Dortmund a loan when the Signal Iduna Park side were on the verge of bankruptcy.

The Ruhr area side were staring into the abyss in 2003, but rather than see their rivals go under, Hoeness decided to loan them money in order to help with their crippling debts.

"When they [Dortmund] were aware that they could no longer pay their salaries, we gave them £1.65 million without collateral for a few months," the 60-year-old told fans in Hamburg.

When questioned about the loan, current Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke confirmed that the Bavarians had indeed helped his club out with their crisis.

"Yes, I can confirm a loan," he told Ruhr Nachrichten.

Bayern have in the past also given financial aid to local rivals 1860 Munich, as well as St Pauli.

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3275/bundesliga/2012/02/06/2889858/uli-hoeness-bayern-saved-dortmund-from-bankruptcy-with-2m

[pSinatra]

Maybe Top will put his hand in his pocket & help Forest out

Good of Bayern Munich though

[Haydos]

Yet Premiership sides won't chip in to keep conference sides afloat

[jonlcfc1990]

Yet Premiership sides won't chip in to keep conference sides afloat

THIS! it's a joke our so called "premier league" Seem to forget all the clubs that made it great in the first place Leicester Coventry Derby Forest we have all been in trouble and have never been given any help of any kind and as for Darlington and more for them to stop existing all together is a disgrace! while theres 40 million pound strikers on the bench moaning about not being able to move to madrid Hate what footballs become

[Amin]

Why did Bayern feel the need to tell everyone now? Really good of them though.

[Tielemans63]

THIS! it's a joke our so called "premier league" Seem to forget all the clubs that made it great in the first place Leicester Coventry Derby Forest we have all been in trouble and have never been given any help of any kind and as for Darlington and more for them to stop existing all together is a disgrace! while theres 40 million pound strikers on the bench moaning about not being able to move to madrid Hate what footballs become

Aye and don't forget the mighty Poppies! I don't think Kettering are going to finish the season

[Dan]

That's incredible to be honest.

[Guest shearfox]

I'm sure Man City could help Darlington with their depts, it would just be pocket change...

[Saxondale]

Superb story.

Good point about our lower league sides. The amounts needed to help clubs like Darlington are a pittance compared to the turnovers of clubs like Man City. I suppose a problem is that many of the huge clubs, regardless of how wealthy they seem, actually run at massive losses. And when they're prepared to spend £35m on transfer fee alone for a thuggish Geordie donkey with a pony tail, it's no surprise why.

It would be nice if some of the big sides could 'adopt' a smaller neighbour team and work on reciprocal arrangements such as using their ground for reserve games (like we do/ did with Kettering and Hinckley), loaning players and so on. Darlington's obvious 'buddy' club would be Middlesborough, I suppose.

[Trav Le Bleu]

:appl:

And this from a league where the average match day ticket is £13 (or was in 2010 - source ---> http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/apr/11/bundesliga-premier-league)

Puts us to shame.

[Saxondale]

:appl:

And this from a league where the average match day ticket is £13 (or was in 2010 - source ---> http://www.guardian....-premier-league)

Puts us to shame.

Match tickets double as free rail passes with supporters travelling in a relaxed atmosphere in which they can sing, drink beer to wash down their sausages, and are generally treated as desirables: a philosophy English fans can only dream of.

Brilliant.

[Trav Le Bleu]

It almost makes you wonder if the right country won "the war".

[Saxondale]

It almost makes you wonder if the right country won "the war".

I'm not sure management of football teams was mentioned in 'Mein Kampf'.

[SOCCERROO FOX]

THIS! it's a joke our so called "premier league" Seem to forget all the clubs that made it great in the first place Leicester Coventry Derby Forest we have all been in trouble and have never been given any help of any kind and as for Darlington and more for them to stop existing all together is a disgrace! while theres 40 million pound strikers on the bench moaning about not being able to move to madrid Hate what footballs become

So by this because school of thought. I have a full time job and live resonably comfortable it should be up to me to help homeless drug addicts who stuff their own life up.........Get a grip mate! EPL team don't have any emotional connection or reason to help out Darlington they got them self in the situation it's up to them to get themselves out. It's up to the league and not the teams to help out the struggling clubs. You can't moan about how clubs spend there money as they earnt the right (through good management or luck) to spend their coin the way they want. If they get themselves in the poo, it will be up to them to get themselves out.

[Asha]

Aye and don't forget the mighty Poppies! I don't think Kettering are going to finish the season

Looks really unlikely, doesn't it?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16973296

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16979540

Had the home game gone ahead later today, it would have had to be played behind closed doors because they can't afford to pay Northamptonshire police.

This is from an official statement about the game, which has been called off due to a frozen pitch anyway.

Kettering Town Football club fixture this weekend: Following a meeting today of the Safety Advisory Group – which is responsible for the safety of sports grounds within Northamptonshire – the group has decided that Kettering Town Football Club's fixture this Saturday against Telford must be played behind closed doors. Fans are advised not to travel to the game as entrance to the ground will not be permitted.

Once it comes to this, surely there's no way to continue? Need to get money into the club, but seemingly no longer able to allow supporters in for matches.

[Tielemans63]

Looks really unlikely, doesn't it?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16973296

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16979540

Had the home game gone ahead later today, it would have had to be played behind closed doors because they can't afford to pay Northamptonshire police.

This is from an official statement about the game, which has been called off due to a frozen pitch anyway.

Once it comes to this, surely there's no way to continue? Need to get money into the club, but seemingly no longer able to allow supporters in for matches.

You're right mate, it's looking really dodgy. Players are all owed 2 months wages, the chairman has all but disappeared, we're behind on the rent for Nene Park and there's only 13 men in the entire squad.

Terrible for football in Northants - first Diamonds go under last season and now Kettering, after more than 100 years are on the way out - really sad. They owe £300k - chicken feed by Prem / Champ standards.

[Mack]

I wonder if Dortmund opened their legs in return?

Sounds dodgy to me.

[Houdini Logic]

Very good of Bayern to do this and always nice to see, but i'm not sure it's some sort of given right that 'bigger' teams should help out the others like most on here are implying

[Captain...]

You're right mate, it's looking really dodgy. Players are all owed 2 months wages, the chairman has all but disappeared, we're behind on the rent for Nene Park and there's only 13 men in the entire squad.

Terrible for football in Northants - first Diamonds go under last season and now Kettering, after more than 100 years are on the way out - really sad. They owe £300k - chicken feed by Prem / Champ standards.

Any chance of getting Leicester to have a glamour friendly at the KP £5 in all proceeds to help keep Kettering alive, call it a farewell match for Berner, Oakley and Howard the crowd will come. Contact the Local Legends (is that what they call themselves), Get Pearson and Walshie in at centre back Chrissy P and Berner at Full back Muzzy and Oakley in the Middle Howard up front with Young, get Stringer in at Right Midfield and Left mid can be a competition winner. Save Kettering...

[Captain...]

Very good of Bayern to do this and always nice to see, but i'm not sure it's some sort of given right that 'bigger' teams should help out the others like most on here are implying

Of course there is no given right to expect help from bigger clubs, but I do find that the FA anf FIFA seem to be doing everything in it's power to screw over the smaller clubs the new Academy system is going to see a lot of clubs lose a vital source of revenue, the transfer window and the loan system also don't help the smaller clubs, great you get a decent player for a couple of months or a season but they don't actual get anything back for their investment in the training and developing of loanees and often end up paying a chunk of their wages for the privilege of training them up. Even big ties in the cup are often undermined by prem clubs fielding weakened teams and the fans of the big clubs not bothering to go to watch the reserves play the smaller clubs, therefore losing a potential revenue boost.

Big clubs have no obligation to help smaller clubs, but the powers that be do have an obligation to stop these clubs getting screwed over and going out of existence.

[Haydos]

Very good of Bayern to do this and always nice to see, but i'm not sure it's some sort of given right that 'bigger' teams should help out the others like most on here are implying

i don't think it's a right, I just think it's an indictment of football in this country and fairly typical that this would happen in Germany and not in 100 years over here. We do have faith-restoring events from time to time so I'll hold my hands up if that were the case but I just don't see anything on this scale happening.

[Tielemans63]

Any chance of getting Leicester to have a glamour friendly at the KP £5 in all proceeds to help keep Kettering alive, call it a farewell match for Berner, Oakley and Howard the crowd will come. Contact the Local Legends (is that what they call themselves), Get Pearson and Walshie in at centre back Chrissy P and Berner at Full back Muzzy and Oakley in the Middle Howard up front with Young, get Stringer in at Right Midfield and Left mid can be a competition winner. Save Kettering...

That would be great wouldn't it? Can't see it happening though, shame because it's a good idea and would be reasonably easy to organise.

[Craig]

Even a bucket collection... Wrexham managed to raise over £1k for them doing that.

Kettering are a club we've always had a good relationship with. Maybe I'm slightly biased in that I'm from Kettering, but it really would be terrible if they went under.

Nice to see Coventry are helping them out by giving them a 'fundraising friendly' tomorrow night with all proceeds going to the supporters trust.

[Guest Bilo]

I'm not sure management of football teams was mentioned in 'Mein Kampf'.

Whoever built Brighton's stadium had clearly thought of something similar when they put in padded seats though.