A revolution in German football! Fortuna Düsseldorf will be offering free tickets for matches. Why has the club decided to do so?

German second division club Fortuna Düsseldorf has decided to make a very interesting move. They are launching a project to offer fans free admission to home games. Why has the club decided to do this?

On Wednesday 26 April, Fortuna Düsseldorf presented a plan on its club website that can be quantified as unusual in the world of football. The German second division club announced that it intends to offer free tickets for all its future home games.

The club has also stressed that it wants this move to put the fans back in the centre of the action, or rather to bring the fans back into the stadium. The project is called “Fortuna for all”, and the free admission will apply to long-time season ticket holders, occasional visitors and even guests.

Düsseldorf intends to run a pilot programme during the 2023/24 season before the full project is fully implemented in the coming years. The question is how the club will compensate for the revenue generated by admission fees for home games. Well, simply.

The German club will see more income from sponsors. They have also pledged funding for the development of a youth academy, a women’s football team and digital infrastructure.

We are breaking new ground!

“We want to make it clear what Fortuna Düsseldorf stands for. We are doing things differently and breaking new ground with the “Fortuna for All” project,” said the club’s CEO Alexander Jobst in an official statement.

“To offer all home games for free, we need more long-term partners. We are happy for the companies that are already on board and we are open to more that want to join us on this extraordinary journey,” Jobst admitted.

Fortuna Düsseldorf also became the second professional club in Germany after Bremen to join the Common Goal initiative, which supports football charities around the world.

Germany as proof of ‘healthy football’?

German football is regularly praised for the way it approaches football. And that the fans and the sport simply come first for the clubs. For example, club members can make important decisions.

Also highly praised is the 50+1 rule, which makes it illegal for outside investors to take over the club for big money. German football fans also praise the favourable accessibility to matches in terms of admission prices.

The revolutionary new approach currently being taken by Düsseldorf could be another major positive that will bring many more fans to German football.

Fortuna Düsseldorf, Bundesliga