Fortuna Düsseldorf - free football

[feedthebear]

Fortuna Düsseldorf have raised £39 million from the local business community to fund free football for their fans (today’s Times Sport). In the forthcoming season, three of their home matches will be free entry. Their plan is to be able to fund free admission for all fans for every home game within the next 2 to 3 years.

Their chief exec states, “Not everybody can’t afford football and a football stadium experience anymore. Our conviction is that football belongs to everyone”.

They believe that the extra sponsorship that their altruistic approach will attract, plus the additional match day stadium revenue from the increased crowds, will be sufficient to offset the lost gate revenue, and will bring with it the benefit of capacity crowd backing for the team.

The club is 100% owned by their fans cooperative, of which there are 27,000 members.

A very different take on things.

 

[Corcaigh_the_Cat]

Now that's a community club.

 

[WeeGord]

German football in terms of ownership and how they're run in general, is light years ahead of the likes of the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A etc.

Dusseldorf is a fantastic city too, double bonus.

 

[Fabiopaim]

It's a fantastic idea, but if £39M only allows for three free games, how is that sustainable over a full season? Am I not understanding the financial aspects?

 

[Honey_Glazed_Sausages]

I had a great time in Dusseldorf. Weather was spot on, beautiful women and superb scran and beer

 

[MolteniArcore]

I was there a few weeks ago watching a match. I personally think the football experience is much better in Germany!

 

[Johngannonsunderpants]

Freiburg are also a FANtastically / ethnically well run club.
But Germany also has RB Leipzig and Bayern winning the title every year.

We could still learn a lot from the German model though.

 

[MolteniArcore]

We could still learn a lot from the German model though.

I would start with serving Alt Beer and Bratwursts

 

[Canyoudigit]

We'd still have fans complaining there's no free pint

 

[johnsmithsno2]

Freiburg are also a FANtastically / ethnically well run club.
But Germany also has RB Leipzig and Bayern winning the title every year.

We could still learn a lot from the German model though.

You had me worried for a minute then I realised the typo/predictive text - ethically not enthnically!

 

[atypical_boro]

It’s obviously a good/interesting idea, but if every club did it for every home match, there’d eventually be too big a demand for tickets at any club who was doing well. So once stadiums have been increased/rebuilt then what? Start to charge an additional levy for fans who REALLY want to go……?