Second-tier Bundesliga club, Fortuna Dusseldorf, has announced plans to offer free tickets for all their home games.
The plan, which is tagged “Fortuna For All,” is geared towards eliminating all ticketing costs to fans during home games.
This means Fortuna Dusseldorf fans will now be able to access the Merkur Spiel-Arena to watch live matches without having to pay a dime.
It has also been confirmed the plan is not limited to only Fortuna Dusseldorf fans, but all football fans interested in watching Bundesliga games at the stadium.
Visiting teams are equally set to be covered by the “Fortuna For All’ plan. This implies away fans only have their transport fares to foot while access to the Merkur Spiel-Arena will be granted for free without any string of charges.
The plan was officially unveiled by the club on Wednesday by the Fortuna Dusseldorf’s CEO, Alexander Jobst.
Speaking at the unveiling, Alexander Jobst said;
“Fortuna Dusseldorf stands for something and we want to make it clear for all. We want to be different. With this plan, we will break new grounds and make a difference.”
Meanwhile, according to reports, Fortuna Dusseldorf will not implement the plan straightaway but through a pilot scheme which will kickstart at the beginning of next season. Then, the full implementation of the scheme will follow in the ‘coming years.’
The pros and cons of Fortuna Dusseldorf’s shocking ticketing plan are not far-fetched.
First, the sustainability of the program has been called to question. Some German media outlets described “Fortuna For All’ as ‘ambitious’ as well as ‘courageous.’
Unequivocally, “Fortuna For All'” will take a significant toll on the club’s revenue base. A good percentage of a club’s revenue these days stem from ticketing revenues.
However, it appears the German side are ready to tackle expected revenue plunge with some workable alternatives.
Speaking during the unveiling of the plan, Jobst added the club is cognizant of the expected shift in revenue inflow that may arise from the plan hence they hope to work with long-term partners and sponsors to offset the impact of such revenue shifts.
He also expressed his happiness with the few partners and sponsors that have worked with the club.
“To be able to achieve the ‘Fortuna For All Plan,’ we need more long-term partners and we are happy with the few we have worked with.”
Reports in Germany claimed that the Bundesliga club is in partnership with a number of sponsors and have been a frontline club that has supported football charity programs across the globe.
Fortuna Dusseldorf was founded in 1895. Nicknamed the Flingeraner, the club’s home ground is the 54,600-capacity Merkur Spiel-Arena.
They are currently playing in Germany second division, Bundesliga 2, but have a great history in Germany club football.
They are two times DFB-Pokal winners and have been runners-up five times. They have won the Bundesliga second division twice in 1989 and 2018, when they gained promotion to Germany’s elite division.
They are currently 6th in the Bundesliga 2 table with 47 points from 29 games.
With five matches to the end of the season, their chances of breaking into the playoff spot are slim as they sit 9 points away from third-placed team Hamburger SV.
While pundits debate the feasibly of the free ticketing scheme, the move has been hailed by many as the future of football as clubs move to place fans at the center of the game.
Do you think ‘Fortuna For All’ is sustainable and should clubs follow same steps?
