BERLIN — In October, Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund did something not just out of step with modern football, but with modern life: they asked fans to put their phones away.

Ahead of the match with Eintracht Frankfurt, Dortmund launched a scheme which rewarded supporters for not using their smartphones during games at their 82,000-capacity Westfalenstadion.

By switching on “fan mode” in the Dortmund app, supporters who kept off their phones were awarded points and could win prizes, including signed jerseys and fan shop vouchers.

But while the scheme likely seems odd, particularly for international fans, it has been warmly received in Germany, where the matchday experience remains sacred to millions of fans.

‘Significant positive feedback’

German football’s unique governance rules – which restrict external investment by requiring clubs to be member-owned – have helped preserve the stadium experience lost elsewhere.

With fans playing a role in club decisions, preserving this experience remains paramount.

Season tickets at Bayern Munich, the defending German champions, start at 180 euros (S$258) for 17 home Bundesliga games. By contrast, the cheapest season ticket for English champions Arsenal cost £978 (S$1,680) for 19 home matches.

Dortmund are not the only club to try and curb in-game phone usage. Second-division sides Hertha Berlin and Dynamo Dresden also implemented restrictions this season.

The Hertha and Dynamo schemes have primarily sought to prevent the growing trend of influencers filming and monetising in-stadium content, but are also targeted at preserving the experience of being in the crowd.

Sporting organisations across the globe have grappled with what to do about influencers during major events. Some see it as a useful source of promotion, but others fear it detracts from the overall experience, while it can violate lucrative broadcast arrangements.

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 their scheme had tried to tackle the “fundamental question of how we deal with external video productions in our stadium”.

Like Hertha, Dynamo said the policy was partially motivated by a need to protect broadcaster rights, but was also directed at preserving matchdays for everyone.

“The atmosphere and support of the team should be in the foreground for the stadium visit,” Dynamo told AFP, while adding the project “received significant positive feedback from fans.”

‘Scream and stream’

Dortmund chairman Carsten Cramer said the policy preserves what makes the club special.

“It is a very unique approach. It’s how to attract people, to tell them, ‘Hey, it’s not a concert where you scream and stream video sequence by video sequence’,” Cramer told AFP and other media.

“We should not avoid technological progress, but we should consider how to use it in our landscape, because the very emotional and authentic scenery of a football game has to be protected.”

Cramer called on fans to “watch, enjoy and experience the moment”.

The jewel in the crown of Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion is the famous ‘yellow wall’, Europe’s biggest standing terrace which holds 25,000 supporters.

“The emotion given by the yellow wall is so special that you need the people’s attention. And if they just send messages and stream from the game, they lose this attention.

“And if we say Dortmund has this special atmosphere, then we have to keep going (with the project).”

Given the scheme’s popularity – Cramer said it has received “very, very positive feedback from our supporters” – it will likely spread, although rivals Bayern are lukewarm.

Staying true to the inter-club rivalry between Germany’s two biggest clubs, Bayern board member Rouven Kasper joked: “The football is so exciting at Bayern, we don’t need to ban phones.”

Cramer took the tongue-in-cheek jab in good nature and said the most important feedback was on the field, with Dortmund winning three from three since the scheme was implemented.

“(We did it) to win games – and we did.” AFP