How Bayern and Hartberg benefit from 19 jersey sponsors
FC Bayern maintains close relations with the Austrian Bundesliga club TSV Hartberg, a club from a 6 687‑inhabitant village in the southeast of Austria, which has not yet won a major title, but in the 2025‑26 season set a record with 19 jersey sponsors.
An Unusual Sponsorship Success
Although Hartberg never celebrated a championship title, the club is a serial winner in the discipline of jersey sponsors. In summer 2025, the jersey bearing 19 logos caused a stir in Germany, with the word‑mark "Profertil" plus the addition "#1 Spermbooster" prominently displayed on the belly.
The Driving Minds Behind the Rise
Founder and managing director of Lenus Pharma, Brigitte Annerl, 57 years old, has been leading TSV Hartberg as president since 2017. Beside her, Erich Korherr, 59, acts both as master painter with his own company in Greinbach and as chairman and managing director of TSV Hartberg Spielbetriebs‑GmbH.
In a profile published in May 2026 by MUT Magazine, Korherr's double role is emphasized: "Profession: master painter, head of the company Malerei Korherr in Greinbach near Hartberg with eleven employees. Hobby: club chairman at TSV Hartberg football and managing director of TSV Hartberg Spielbetriebs‑GmbH."
Partnership with Bayern and Further Networks
Jochen Sauer, youth chief of FC Bayern, explained in the SPOX interview that Bayern, besides official partners such as Los Angeles FC, also has "some clubs with whom we maintain a very good relationship with the key persons, without them being officially part of the network" – he named TSV Hartberg in particular.
Since 2023, Munich talents have repeatedly moved to Hartberg: Angelo Brückner and Maximilian Henning gained match experience on loan, goalkeeper Tom Ritzy Hülsmann transferred permanently in 2025 and was sold in the summer for €2.5 million to Stade Reims.
Goalkeeper coordinator Tom Starke visited a home game in February at the Profertil Arena and described the collaboration in the Sky interview on the sidelines as a "win‑win‑situation for all parties." Hartberg receives well‑trained players for little money, Bayern can test them in a decent league and benefit in the long term from resale participation.
The close connection between Bayern and Hartberg shows how a small village club, with creative sponsorship strategies and personal networks, has become a silent partner in the international youth system of FC Bayern.