Dusseldorf to make home games free with partners covering costs

German second-division side Fortuna Dusseldorf unveiled a plan Wednesday to make entry free for all home games.

Tickets for home and away fans will be free for "at least" three of 17 games in the 2023-24 season during a pilot phase. 

The number of games without ticket costs will gradually increase until tickets for all 17 games are free.

"When we gain more partners, we will have the opportunity to gradually replace (existing) ticketing" said Dusseldorf CEO Alexander Jobst.

"I can't predict 100% how long it will take us."

The plan is funded by a group of sponsors who have committed to pay €45 million over the next five years, with more expected to come on board.

"When we manage to have 17 games with free entry depends on how things develop. We have laid the foundation," said club's financial chief Arnd Hovemann.

Jobst said on Wednesday the plan, named "Fortuna for Everyone," has been unveiled to "strengthen the club" while "anchoring first-division football in this city in the long term."

The plan has also received the support of the Dusseldorf City Council, with Mayor Stephan Keller saying on Wednesday the plan could "trigger a revolution in professional football."

The money received from sponsors will be shared across the club, the stadium, and the city itself.

According to the announcement, 50% will go towards the men's professional team, 20% to junior and women's football, 20% towards digital infrastructure, and a final 10% to social and sporting projects in the city.

Thomas Kessen, spokesperson for German fan association Unsere Kurve, told AFP subsidiary network SID on Tuesday it "welcomed Fortuna's idea."

"We have been of the opinion for years that football should be for everyone."

The idea is the brainchild of Jobst, who took over as club boss in January 2022 after administrative roles at Real Madrid, Schalke, and FIFA.

Dusseldorf's stadium, one of the host venues of the 2024 European Championships in Germany, has a stadium capacity of 52,200.

The club average attendance is around 29,000 this season, the fourth-highest in the German second division.

German football is considered more fan-friendly than other major European leagues as a result of a range of regulations aimed to preserve the connection between clubs and supporters.

The member-ownership model, known colloquially as 50+1, ensures member control of clubs and restricts foreign ownership.

Dusseldorf current sit sixth in the second division of German football, having won one German league title and two German Cups.