#hockdiher: The host city's action with six benches

#hockdiher finale on Sunday: The competition is over

All six European Championship matches in the Munich Football Arena have been played, the European Championship is almost over. At the grand finale of the spectacular #hockdiher campaign, for which the host city of Munich set up six benches for the UEFA EURO 2024 match throughout the city, you could take part in a competition!

The #hockdiher team was at the entrance to the lake stage on the final Sunday, anyone who made a feed post (photo/reel) or a story of themselves on the bench and uploads it to their public Instagram account by Monday, July 15 at 5 p.m., uses the hashtag #hockdiher and tags @muenchen, has a chance of winning. For taking part, everyone received a small giveaway on site, for example a mini Albärt.

Four original UEFA EURO 2024 jerseys and an original UEFA EURO 2024 match ball will be drawn among all participants. There are four Germany jerseys to be won (white and purple / 1x women and 1x men in size M, L or XL). The jerseys are unique pieces printed with "Munich 24". The match ball is also unique and has the signatures of #hockdiher event participants. The terms and conditions linked here apply (in German).

Hup Holland Hup at #hockdiher

The #hockdiher meeting benches are always where the action is at this European Championship. Including, of course, at the big fan walk of the Dutch supporters before their round of 16 match against Romania in Munich. At the meeting point in front of the Olympic Ice Sports Center, the colourful bench was chosen by the Oranje fans as the party focal point. Among them: the Queen of Cheese, the Dutch version of ABBA and musicians who can play the trumpet even with a beer in their hands.

But beware, not everyone wearing Oranje is really Dutch. Employees of the Munich waste management company (AWM) also posed for a quick photo.

#hockdiher live: Two powerful women

One of the #hockdiher match benches made a stop at the Munich Arena on Monday, July 1 from 11 to 11:30 am. Right next to the pitch, on which another European Championship round of 16 (July 2) and a semi-final (July 9) will be played, two strong women had their say who are making their way in supposedly male domains. Munich's Host City Ambassador Ka Lehmann and Nadine Nurasyid took a seat on the #hockdiher bench to talk about their careers.

Born in Switzerland, Kathrin "Ka" Lehmann made a professional career as a player in both football and ice hockey. She is the only sportswoman to have won the highest European cup competition in ice hockey (with AIK Solna from Sweden) and in football (with FCR Duisburg). In Munich, she played football for FFC Wacker and FC Bayern, as well as ice hockey for ESC Planegg. She is now a local European Championship ambassador for the host city of Munich during the European Championships and acts as a TV expert for the EURO broadcasts on ZDF. 

Munich native Nadine Nurasyid is making her mark in American football: after her active career as an international player and with the Munich Cowboys, she was the first female head coach of a men's American football team in Europe in 2022 and was voted Coach of the Year in the German Football League (GFL) in 2022. She now works in the coaching staff of the Stuttgart Surge. She can also be seen in front of the camera as an expert on RTL's NFL broadcasts.

Albärt on the #hockdiher bench in the Olympic Park

The European Championship mascot Albärt stopped by the #hockdiher bench in the Fan Zone Olympiapark on Monday. Fans were able to take stories, videos and selfie pictures with Albärt and upload them to Instagram with the hashtag #hockdiher and the tag @muenchen. Participants also received a small mini Albärt as a souvenir.

Sports officer Florian Kraus invites you to the #hockdiher bench

During the EURO in the host city of Munich, sports consultant Florian Kraus often visits the fan zone. So far, he has never made it in the morning when the Olympic Park is still empty, well before the concerts and public viewing begin. But he made time for a visit to the #hockdiher bench in the Olympic Park. Looking out over the fan zone, he talks about his impressions of the European Championships in the city so far and what the #hockdiher benches are for.

#hockdiher for the match Slovenia vs. Serbia with friends from both countries

For the third Munich matchday with Slovenia and Serbia, two young female footballers took a seat on our #hockdiher bench in the Fan Zone: Jovana and Lauren were born in Serbia and Slovenia and met in Munich by playing football - as center back and full back at TSV Milbertshofen, with whom they have just become champions in the district league. We asked them about the rivalry between the two countries and whether they are also friends off the pitch...

#hockdiher live on Wednesday: Talk with two U17 world champions and club makers

It was #hockdiher live in the Olympic Park on Wednesday afternoon. The #hockdiher bench was located on the Willi-Gebhardt-Ufer, the southern shore of the lake opposite the main stage of the Fan Zone. It was about nothing less than the future of German sport: three youngsters and two movers and shakers from top Munich clubs took their seats on the EURO 2024 bench and discussed what makes successful youth development work.

The two goalkeepers and U17 world champions Konstantin Heide (18 years old, SpVgg Unterhaching) and Max Schmitt (18, FC Bayern Munich) spoke in the first part together with the national ice hockey player Nikolaus "Klausi" Heigl (21, EHC Red Bull Munich) about their steep path to top-class sport.

In the second part, Jochen Sauer, Director of Youth Development at FC Bayern Munich, and Lorenz Funk, Managing Director Sports at EHC Red Bull Munich, provided exciting perspectives on youth development in sport.

Watch the discussions re-live here on muenchen.de!

Romanian-Ukrainian meetings on the Fan Zone bench

The #hockdiher bench in the Fan Zone is located on the hill above the Coubertin turf steps and the giant screen. A great place to make new friends! Bogdan and Bogdan, Svetlana and Margo thought so too - and squatted down. On the Fan Zone edition of our six European Championship benches, they tell us how well they get on and how their love of soccer unites them. Even though Bogdan and Bogdan from Romania had a little more to celebrate in the end than the two Ukrainians - all four went home with a good feeling. Or maybe even had a beer together.

Spectacular with 6 EURO meeting benches

Munich is the first city ever to host two consecutive European Football Championships. Symbolic of Munich's hospitality and diversity, it is not only the giant Münchner Kindl on Marienplatz that is all about EURO 2024. Here you can sit down and create encounters - but not just here. The Spectacular concept can be seen throughout the city. In addition to the Münchner Kindl statue on Marienplatz, six benches are also part of Host City Munich's Spectacular campaign.

There are six unique benches in the bright colors of EURO 2024 that will bring you together with people from all over the world throughout the city from mid-June, the week the tournament starts. The clear message: #hockdiher.

The goal here: Harness the power of soccer. To bring values to life. In short: to create encounters. Meetings that would not exist without soccer. The meetings will be shown on @muenchen's social media channels, which you can submit your own posts, photos and stories about. 

The highlight of #hockdiher is a series of events at the benches. This is where exciting conversation partners meet to discuss topics that highlight the power of #unitedbyfootball. Anyone who has previously shared their own encounters at a bench can, with a bit of luck, be there live.

#hockdiher live: The talk about soccer and culture with Simon Pearce, Fritz Ani and other great guests

#hockdiher live was the motto on Sunday at the Stadion der Träume at the Fat Cat (former Gasteig): it was all about soccer and culture. Organizer Till Hofmann has been demonstrating that this is not a contradiction in terms with the diverse programme at the Stadion der Träume since mid-May and until the end of the European Championships. It is therefore only logical that one of the six colorful #hockdiher benches is set up directly in front of the stadium backdrop. On Sunday, it was a meeting place for exciting conversations. Till Hofmann, Managing Director of "Stadion der Träume", actor Simon Pearce, bestselling author Friedrich Ani, comedian Bumillo and the Bellevue di Monaco theater group with director Christine Umpfenbach discussed the topic of "Football and Culture" at the first #hockdiher live event in the Host City. The whole event was moderated by cabaret artist Christl Sittenauer.