analyse
Fortuna Düsseldorf has managed a PR stunt in a class of its own. The announcement is nothing more than that to waive the entrance fee in the future. A commentary analysis.
There was quick talk of one “Revolution”. Maybe it will just be a reform. Maybe it will be a pipe burst. It can also be a success story.
It is extremely difficult to make a prediction, and even if Fortuna Düsseldorf granted all spectators free entry to a game in the – most likely – 2nd division for the first time in the 2023/24 season, it will not have been clear by a long shot whether “Fortune for all” more than a successful PRStunt is.
Worldwide response to Fortuna plan
It is, that can already be said as of Thursday afternoon (04/27/2023). The renowned French sports newspaper The Team reports on Fortuna’s spectacular plan, just like the Brazilian newspaper Pernambuco Leaf and the Chinese news agency Xinhua. That’s great for a club where foreign media has so far only been interested in match results.
Attention can be monetized, with a few memberships likely to exist, even short-term, due to preferential allocation of free tickets to members.
A lot of questions about free tickets
Whether the project will generate more money in the long term – and that’s what the club is going for, otherwise it would have claimed the opposite and actually revolutionized professional football – is one of many questions that are already arising today.
There would be about the after the revenue increases. On Saturday (04/30/2023) Fortuna plays against Karlsruher SC. Admission prices for full-paying guests range from 20 to 45 euros, taking the discounts into account, an average price of 25 euros seems realistic. With a current viewer average of 29,000, Fortuna takes in a good twelve million euros from 17 home games in the league.
According to the club, the sponsors presented on Wednesday (04/26/2023) will pay 45 million euros over the next five years. This could not even compensate for the lost income. Assuming the circumstances remain the same – 2nd league and almost 60 percent occupancy of the stadium – more sponsors and increases in other areas such as merchandising and catering are needed. Will that be significantly possible?
What information do you need ticket prospects make?
One of the most interesting questions is who gets free tickets and how. Fortuna’s CEO spoke vaguely of one “digital platform”, where interested parties can apply. Members would be given preferential treatment.
If the digital platform meant the already existing ticket shop, Jobst could have spoken of the ticket shop. In connection with the promise of Dusseldorf, the cards “fair” to distribute, the question arises even more as to what information interested parties must provide. Name, place of residence and date of birth will hardly suffice. Why should Max Mustermann from Meerbusch be entitled to a ticket more than Maria Mustermann from Ratingen?
The ones behind the slogan “Football for All” The presumable, laudable intention of giving people with very little money access to a professional football game requires that the needy people state that they are needy. Or is a certain contingent allocated through social institutions?
Thin answers from Düsseldorf
Every question related to Fortuna’s strategy raises another question. The answers so far are very thin. Fortuna made the headlines and put competitors under pressure at the same time. Clubs that want to raise prices for the coming season will get a hint from some fans that Düsseldorf will soon no longer want to take any more money.
Incidentally, in the 60 years of the Bundesliga, no fan has ever asked for that. Visiting his club was always worth paying a reasonable price for. How high the price will be for Fortuna fans if they no longer have to pay money is also an exciting question. It still takes an answer.