Desi Tadka: Bayern Munich Community On Orkut

Oliver is one of the senior moderators of the Bayern Munich community on Orkut. He is a first year Geology student from Tallinn, Estonia. He is 20 years of age and watched Bayern Munich in action for the first time in 1998. From then on, he became a Bayern supporter.

Another of the senior moderators of the Bayern Munich community on Orkut also bears the same name, Oliver. He is from Bavaria, Germany and lives 300 kilometers north of Munich. He is 19 years of age and has enrolled himself in an International Business course starting next September. He has been “following Bayern for as long as I can remember.” “In Germany you grow up either loving or hating Bayern” and Oliver grew up loving them.

Goal.com: Since when have you been the moderators of the Bayern Munich community? 

Olivers: Our community was actually started before 2004. It turned into a real active community when we were made moderators about two years ago or so. We removed all the spam and advertisements, started some major topics like "General Bayern News" and "Other European Football news." It was not long until fans saw that this can grow into a serious community with people who really love Bayern München and have knowledge and ideas about football. We did this so that people supporting Bayern from outside Germany would also have an opportunity to discuss about their club.

Goal.com: How did your community develop?

Olivers: We can not remember the exact number of members before we started re-organizing things, but the number of members has grown significantly since then. More importantly, there are more and more active members who share their thoughts with others.

Goal.com: What is the aim of your community?

Olivers: The most important aim for this community is to unite Bayern München fans from all over the world and to share their love and commitment to this great club. The community offers the fans a chance to discuss everything related to Bayern from the transfer market to actual live games. Furthermore, some leisurely activities like a Fifa 2009 tournament/league for our members is currently being planned.

Goal.com: Have you fulfilled that aim?

Olivers: Lots of active members share and discuss news about Bayern each week, so yes, the community has fulfilled all expectations so far.

Goal.com: What type of discussions do you hold here?

Olivers: We discuss basically everything related to Bayern, from transfer news, match discussions or the team's formation and tactics to other European football news and international games. Thanks to the fact that our members are distributed all over the world, we have a huge advantage in getting the latest football news and rumours from various sources. Many of our members have been following Bayern for years or even decades and have thus gathered huge knowledge about the club, so discussions are always worth reading and participating.

Goal.com: From which nations do the members come?

Olivers: As mentioned above, our members are distributed all over the world. We have active members from India, Pakistan, Estonia, Germany, Brazil, Austria, USA and even Canada.

Goal.com: Is it tough to maintain your community or it fun?

Olivers: It is definitely fun to be moderators. To be honest, we don't really have that much to do, because our members are usually very polite and respect each other. It has been a very enjoyable experience so far. Members get to know each other very fast and some are now good and trustworthy friends that talk every week and even daily. We have a very active, sociable and friendly community, so new members are always welcome to join the fun.

And here is what the members, who are obviously Bayern Munich fans, have to say about the community as well as about the club that they support.

Lester Pereira from Mumbai,India: This is the most active English speaking Bayern Munich community. We have members from various countries and continents. This community gives me a sense of belongingness as the club we members support bring us together.

Ashish from Mumbai, India: I have been supporting Bayern Munich club since their UEFA Champions League triumph in 2001. So it’s been a long time now. I have seen many ups and down, but it’s all about standing by your team. This is a place where my passion for Bayern grew and there are lots of like-minded people here.

Nikhil Parkar from Mumbai,India: I have been a Kahn fan since the 2002 world Cup finals. It was from then that I started supporting Germany and eventually started supporting Bayern Munich.

Tarini Singh from Goa, India: I became a Bayern Munich fan only this season and joined this community. The members here are very polite and respect the views of others. So, even though there be some difference of opinions, there are no ugly arguments.

V2j from Bangalore, India: This community is a place for me to share my joy and sorrow. Whenever I watch a Bayern Munich match, I know that I can have a sensible discussion about it afterwards. Bayern Munich is a huge part of my life and this community makes me feel close to the club and its fans.

Hasan Ejaz from Karachi, Pakistan: They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and that can be a case for me and my love for Bayern. After the disastrous season of 06-07, when Bayern came 4th and failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, there were a few who withdrew their support. But seeing that some of the fans in this community still have faith in Bayern made me stronger.

Kunal Saha from Kolkata: Germany and Bayern Munich mean football to me. Everyday I wish if I could watch Bayern play at the Allianz Arena….. But this community is my Allianz and I suppose this sums up why I love this community so much.

Aditya Arora, Kolkata,India: I watched Bayern Munich for the first time in the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2001. I was moved by their resilience and urge to win and I have been supporting them ever since.

Prakash C S from Trivandrum,India: For me football starts and ends with Germany . Bayern Munich is the face of the German domestic league . This is the most active Bayern community on Orkut. The moderators and members are very much sensible and respect each others views.

Vishal Trivedi Vadodara from India: Here we share our joy, sorrow and all kinds of emotions when Bayern win or lose. It would be apt to say that we live our football through this community.

Subhankar Mondal

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