Dortmund reward supporters for staying off phones during matches
Borussia Dortmund offered rewards to fans who kept their phones unused during a home match, aiming to encourage them to focus on the game and the atmosphere. The initiative reflects clubs’ growing concern about phone use and influencer content at matches, while raising questions about whether teams should shape how paying supporters experience live sport.
At the sold-out Signal Iduna Park, 81,365 fans watched Dortmund beat Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0, leaving the club level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga. Fans who activated the club app’s “fan mode” could earn points for each minute they left their phones alone, with signed shirts and merchandise gift cards offered as prizes. Hertha Berlin and Dynamo Dresden have taken a stricter approach by banning commercial influencer-style videos in their stadiums.
In short
- Dortmund rewarded supporters for keeping phones away during a match.
- 81,365 fans watched a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
- The scheme raises questions about how fans experience live sport.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Clubs can reasonably encourage fans to be present because attention and shared atmosphere are central to the live-match experience, and widespread filming may distract others or turn the stands into a backdrop for online content. A voluntary reward scheme gives supporters a light-touch incentive to engage with the game while leaving them free to use their phones if they choose.
The case against
Paying supporters should have substantial freedom to decide how they experience a match, including taking photos or making videos, provided they respect others and stadium rules. Even a voluntary scheme can signal that the club prefers one kind of fan behaviour, while stricter limits on influencer-style content risk making it harder for supporters to share their experience and for clubs to benefit from online attention.
Explained simply
Borussia Dortmund are a German football club based in the city of Dortmund, and Signal Iduna Park is their home ground. The club competes in the Bundesliga, Germany’s top league, where teams play a season of matches to decide the champion.
Clubs are increasingly concerned that phones and social media can distract fans from the match and the shared atmosphere in the stands. Some teams have restricted commercial videos at games, while Dortmund’s app-based scheme offered prizes to supporters who kept their phones unused.
The approaches raise a broader question about how far clubs should influence what supporters do at a match. Fans pay to attend, but clubs also shape the stadium experience and set rules for its use.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “A phone-free Yellow Wall: are Dortmund urging fans to be present or policing them?”.