Borussia Dortmund offer incentives for fans to stay off their phones during Bundesliga matches

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Borussia Dortmund have unveiled an unusual and interesting new initiative designed to encourage supporters to spend less time looking at their smartphones during Bundesliga matches. In cooperation with principal sponsor Vodafone, the club will introduce a new feature called “FanModus” in its official mobile application, rewarding spectators for keeping their phones locked while watching the action on the pitch.

The initiative will make its debut during Saturday evening’s Bundesliga encounter against Eintracht Frankfurt at Signal Iduna Park. According to Borussia Dortmund’s official announcement, the programme aims to encourage supporters to engage more fully with the matchday atmosphere rather than documenting every moment through their devices.

Dortmund cite a 2023 Vodafone survey involving 1,000 regular stadium attendees, which found that 63 percent regularly used their smartphones during football matches. The club also points to increasing frustration among supporters concerning selfies, streaming, and social-media activity in the stands.

Dortmund offer prizes for keeping smartphones locked during matches

The new system operates through the official BVB application, with supporters activating FanModus before kickoff and locking their smartphones once the match begins. Fans accumulate credit for every minute they leave their devices unused, with each phone-free minute providing one entry into a prize draw. A maximum of 90 minutes can be accumulated during a Bundesliga fixture, with halftime and stoppage time excluded.

The initiative offers participants the opportunity to win signed Borussia Dortmund jerseys and vouchers for the club’s official merchandise shop. Supporters may use their phones normally during halftime, provided they reactivate the feature before the second half. Switching to another application or actively using the smartphone interrupts the accumulation of phone-free minutes.

Participation is entirely voluntary. The feature is available on compatible iOS and Android devices, although fans must permit the application to verify their location inside Signal Iduna Park. A BVB account is not required to use the timer itself, but supporters wishing to enter the prize draw must log in. According to the club’s detailed explanation of the system, the competition is open to supporters aged 16 and older.

Dortmund and Vodafone seek to preserve authentic stadium experiences

Borussia Dortmund managing director Carsten Cramer emphasized the importance of protecting the collective experience of attending a football match.

“With Vodafone, we have a partner who not only understands what technology is capable of, but also when it should take a back seat,” Cramer explained in the club’s official announcement. “Over 81,000 people in the stadium, singing, cheering, and holding their breath together: this here and now is irreplaceable.”

Vodafone Germany CEO Marcel de Groot expressed similar sentiments, suggesting that spectators should concentrate on the emotions of football rather than their smartphone screens.

“Anyone at a football game should experience the moment and the emotions—not just a cell phone screen,” de Groot said. “Let’s leave our smartphones in our pockets more often at the stadium and instead focus on what’s happening on the field and in the stands.”

The programme represents an interesting development in German football’s ongoing debate over the relationship between supporters, social media, and the increasingly widespread practice of recording stadium experiences.

BVB initiative arrives amid growing German stadium vlogging debate

The subject has already generated considerable controversy elsewhere in German football. In September, Get German Football News examined the growing conflict between organized supporter groups and stadium vloggers, particularly at Karlsruher SC and Dynamo Dresden.

Supporters in Karlsruhe have publicly condemned influencers who use the atmosphere created by organized fan scenes for commercial purposes. Dresden, meanwhile, has introduced restrictions on commercial stadium vlogging while distinguishing such activity from ordinary private photography.

A subsequent GGFN editorial explored the wider questions of media responsibility, privacy, and the commercialization of supporter culture. The national supporters’ alliance Unsere Kurve has also expressed opposition to the commercial exploitation of fan culture through stadium vlogging.

Dortmund’s new initiative addresses a somewhat different issue. Rather than attempting to regulate commercial content creation, the club is encouraging ordinary spectators to spend more time watching the match without the distractions of their phones.

There is also an interesting distinction in the approach. Where some supporter groups have advocated restrictions on filming inside stadiums, Dortmund and Vodafone have opted for a voluntary incentive system that rewards reduced smartphone use without prohibiting photography or social-media activity.

The initiative consequently introduces another dimension to the wider discussion about how modern technology influences the experience of attending football matches. Dortmund will begin testing the concept in front of their own supporters when Eintracht Frankfurt visit Signal Iduna Park on Saturday evening.

The Bundesliga encounter kicks off at 18:30 CEST.

GGFN | Peter Weis