Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund turns its back on modern life: three weeks ago it launched a project to encourage its fans to put away their phones and enjoy the moment in the stands: time to activate 'fan mode'.

First modification: 11/06/2026 - 17:10 Last modification: 11/06/2026 - 17:22

The yellow club rewards fans for not using their smartphones during matches at its Westfalenstadion, with capacity for 82,000 spectators.

By activating 'fan mode' in the Dortmund app, fans who stopped using their mobile phone received points and could win prizes, including signed shirts and vouchers to the club store.

Although the initiative may seem strange, especially to international fans, it has been very well received in Germany, where the match day experience remains sacred to millions of fans.

"Very positive comments"

German football's unique governance rules - which limit outside investment by requiring clubs to be owned by their partners - have helped preserve the stadium experience that has been lost elsewhere.

As fans participate in the club's decisions, protecting it remains paramount.

Season tickets at reigning German champion Bayern Munich start at 180 euros ($200) for 17 Bundesliga home games.

On the other hand, English champion Arsenal's cheapest season ticket costs 978 pounds ($1,309) for 19 home games.

Dortmund is not the only club trying to reduce phone use during matches. Second division teams such as Hertha Berlin and Dinamo Dresden have also implemented restrictions this season.

Hertha and Dinamo's projects have mainly sought to curb the growing trend of influencers recording and monetizing content from the stadium, but they also aim to preserve the experience of simply enjoying themselves in the stands.

Sports organizations around the world have faced the dilemma of what to do with influencers during big events.

Some see them as a useful source of promotion, but others fear they detract from the overall experience, as well as potentially undercut lucrative streaming deals.

In response to dozens of incidents at the 2026 US Open tennis tournament, Wimbledon has decided to ban so-called content creators from 2027.

Hertha told AFP that their project had attempted to address "the fundamental question of how we manage external video productions in our stadium."

Like Hertha, Dinamo explained that the policy was partly driven by the need to protect the rights of broadcasters, but was also aimed at preserving match day for everyone.

"For the visit to the stadium, the atmosphere and support for the team must be in the foreground," Dinamo told AFP, adding that the project "received very positive comments from fans."

"Shout and broadcast"

Dortmund president Carsten Cramer stated that his policy preserves what makes the club special.

"It's a very unique approach. It's about bringing people in, telling them, 'Hey, this isn't a concert where you shout and broadcast video after video,'" Cramer told AFP and other media.

"We should not avoid technological progress, but we should think about how to use it in our environment, because the emotional and authentic setting of a football match must be protected," he explained.

Cramer urged fans to "watch, enjoy and live in the moment."

Bayern takes it as a joke

The jewel in the crown of Dortmund's Westfalenstadion is the famous yellow wall, the largest standing stand in Europe, which houses 25,000 fans.

"The emotion that the yellow wall transmits is so special that it needs people's attention. And if they only send messages and broadcast the game, they lose that attention," he said.

Cramer said he has received "very, very positive comments from our followers."

Bayern Munich, the great German club, is looking cold at the moment.

True to the rivalry with Dortmund, Bayern manager Rouven Kasper joked: "Football is so exciting at Bayern that we don't need to ban phones."

Cramer took the joke with good humor and pointed out that the results of the initiative are on the field, with Dortmund winning three out of three since the project was implemented: "We did it to win games, and we have achieved it."

© 2026 AFP

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