Champions League road trip: DHL and FC Bayern Munich set off to Rome

What do you pack when heading to an away game in the Champions League? Jerseys and shin guards are a must, but FC Bayern Munich's packing list is a little more complex. Not a problem for DHL: we brought all the team's equipment to Italy for their next match against AS Roma.
 
You could see it on his face as the players from FC Bayern Munich walked by Manfred Höglauer on their way into their hotel in Rome: this was a delivery he would never forget. The DHL driver was grinning from ear to ear and joining dozens of other fans in snapping pictures of some of Germany's biggest soccer stars.
 
"I've been a Bayern fan since I was a boy and I'll always be a Bayern fan," Höglauer said. "It's a dream come true to be a part of something like this!"
 
Of course, that was the other reason Höglauer was smiling: he and the rest of the DHL crew had just completed a crucial delivery for Bayern ahead of Tuesday's Champions League match against AS Roma.
 
No time to lose
 
Less than 48 hours earlier, when the final whistle blew on Bayern's 6-0 drubbing of Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga, DHL sprang into action to prepare for the trip to Rome.
 
It meant careful coordination with FC Bayern's equipment manager to make sure everything – from the game jerseys down to the team's shower sandals – was loaded and ready to go by the time the truck left Munich for Rome.
 
"At the beginning, when you start as a new logistics provider for a sporting partner, it's really important to have an open dialogue to get a good feel for what they need," said Philipp Dianin, Project Manager of DHL Trade Fairs and Events, of the recently established partnership with the football club. "FC Bayern is really supportive in that regard."
 
Soccer balls and jumbo prawns
 
Stealing a peak in the back of the DHL delivery truck on the picturesque trip through the Alps between Munich and Rome would have revealed some fairly standard equipment like soccer balls, practice cones, and team warm-ups. But if you dug a little deeper through the packing crates, things would start to get interesting. Why would a soccer team be taking a set of knives and raw meat to a Champions League game?
 
"Nutrition in the motor that keeps every body running," says Bayern's team chef Markus Zierer. "It's important that we take some of the basic items with us to ensure the highest quality."
 
Pasta sauce, salad dressing, and even jumbo prawns travel with the team so Zierer and his staff can ensure the team meals are prepared exactly to the specifications of the player's nutritional needs. Every cook feels most comfortable with his or her own equipment, so knives and a few good cooking pans make the trip as well.
 
With full stomachs, squeaky-clean jerseys and several sets of goalkeeper gloves, Bayern Munich are ready to take to the pitch against AS Roma in the Champions League. Good luck, guys!
 
DHL is the official international partner for logistics and e-commerce of FC Bayern Munich, Germany's most successful soccer club. Stay tuned to DHL InMotion for more insights on very special deliveries as Bayern seek their next Champions League trophy!