Borussia Dortmund have teamed up with main sponsor Vodafone to launch a digital initiative in the club's official BVB app, encouraging match-going supporters to keep their mobile phones in their pockets at Signal Iduna Park. Supporters can try the voluntary Fan Mode for the first time when Dortmund host Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday, October 24, with more than 81,000 spectators expected.
How the app feature works
The Bundesliga club have integrated the Fan Mode tool into the app to reduce mobile phone distractions in the stands during home games. The feature is available on iOS and Android devices for spectators who enable location services to confirm stadium attendance.
Once activated and locked, the application awards points for every minute a handset stays untouched while the match is underway. Spectators are permitted to check their devices during the half-time interval, but they must switch the setting back on in the app for the second period before point collection finishes at the final whistle.
Prizes and rollout
Supporters who unlock their screens the least and rack up the highest totals will be in line to win signed BVB shirts and club shop vouchers. Following Saturday's launch, the reward scheme will remain active across all subsequent home fixtures throughout the season.
What Dortmund and Vodafone said
Dortmund chief executive Carsten Cramer said: "With Vodafone, we have a partner who not only understands what technology is capable of, but also when it should take a back seat. 'Fan Mode' sends a powerful message: Here, a global technology company is specifically using its innovative strength to protect the experience that no technology can replace."
Cramer added: "Over 81,000 people in the stadium, singing, cheering, and holding their breath together: this here and now is irreplaceable. And that's exactly what we're putting front and centre together."
Vodafone Germany chief executive Marcel de Groot said: "Anyone at a soccer game should experience the moment and the emotions - not just a cell phone screen. 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."
Background to the initiative
The initiative follows a 2023 Vodafone survey of 1,000 regular match-goers, which revealed that 63 per cent frequently use their handsets during games alongside growing frustration over selfies, live streaming and social media in the stands.