Bayern Munich partners with SAP to power analytics and enterprise software

Deal will see German football champions use SAP Hana to monitor player performance and health

FC Bayern Munich, current champions of the German Bundesliga football league and one of the most high-profile teams in Europe, has selected SAP to provide the club with enterprise software and sports analytics.

The partnership follows the initial success of a deal signed earlier this year which saw Bayern Munich select SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM) to harness technology to better interact with fans.

But Bayern Munich and SAP have now extended their partnership, with the club keen to use the SAP HANA platform to exploit the potential of analytics to bring benefits in the areas of player performance, health monitoring and improving overall business performance.

"SAP has the technology to support three of our main goals: optimise our business processes to facilitate our global expansion, help our team stay fit and perform at their highest level, and give our fans the best possible experience," said Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, CEO of FC Bayern Munich.

"The FC Bayern Munich is currently one the best-performing football clubs in the world. Leveraging innovative technology, we want to permanently secure a global top position for the FC Bayern. Our players' performance and their health are of paramount importance to reach this goal, and so are our fans," he continued

"Our club has more than 292 million fans worldwide, including 9.4 million in the US. We have ambitious goals both in terms of sports and economic success, and we want to inspire people worldwide," Rummenigge added.

SAP, which collaborates with a number of high-profile names in sport - including UEFA, Europe's governing body for football - naturally welcomed the deal with Bayern Munich, claiming that it will help to transform football.

"The partnership between SAP and FC Bayern Munich is an impressive union," said Gerhard Oswald, member of the executive board of SAP SE.

"By combining the power of FC Bayern Munich with that of SAP HANA we will be able to develop new solutions that will transform the world of football from every angle," he added.