Can you watch football for free? On TV, computer or cell phone, excluding operating costs (electricity, Wi-Fi, data package), it is available on channels that do not charge for transmission.
And go to the stadium, cheer for free, without paying a ticket? That would be sensational, every football fan will agree, as the prices are not usually attractive.
Because the sensational, even though it is a unique case (I was not aware of others), exists. And it’s not in junior competition or amateur leagues. It’s in professional football, in a country with visibility in the sport and in one of the main divisions in that country.
Unfortunately, it’s not in Brazil.
In Düsseldorf, in western Germany, Fortuna offers free matches to anyone who wants to see the team founded in the century before last (1895) play at the Merkur Spiel stadium.
The idea, called Fortune for All, was put into practice in the 2023/2024 season of the second division of the German Championship. The team fell in 2020 and did not return.
This is a sporting and social project, with the aim of, through a draw, giving all Fortuna supporters an equal chance – from the most fanatical to the occasional fan, from the richest to the least wealthy – to be able to see the team in the arena. “Inclusion” is the keyword.
How is Fortuna para Todos made possible? Via sponsoring companies that buy quotas related to the program, covering the costs of the total load of unsold tickets that will be drawn – anyone interested in going can register on the club’s website.
What is the return for those who bear this cost, of €45 million (R$280 million) in five years? Image. The club and partners sell themselves as innovators, making football more accessible, and this pleases the city’s population, who reciprocates by expanding their commercial relationships with those involved.
The club feels the result on the day of the free games. Interest has been enormous, with demand exceeding the stadium’s capacity (54.6 thousand fans). Matches with open doors are close to maximum capacity (always above 50 thousand fans), and those with ticket fees have an average of 40 thousand.
The results on the field have been satisfactory lately. In the five free matches in 2025 – two last season and three this season – Fortuna did not lose: three wins and two draws. There are still two duels in this model until the end of the championship.
Favorable scores help generate natural engagement from non-habitual fans, who feel encouraged to go to paid matches and even join the club, in addition to starting to consume the association’s products. It is loyalty, which brings revenue.
There are some cons, which have been minimized so far: fan frustration at not being selected, organized fans frowning at the “tourist” fans (without a clear identity with the team).
The biggest risk, which must be treated carefully, is losing sponsors. Withdrawals, if not replaced, will wreck the project. In this shipwreck, the team can sink together.
Good performance in free games helps maintain the hope of not being relegated. It is second to last (16th out of 18), just one point ahead of the first to fall directly. In the current scenario, Fortuna’s program includes Fortuna himself as a beneficiary, in the “for all” category.
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