Borussia Monchengladbach and its FPMG supporters club are running a scheme for fans which enables them to have cardboard cut-outs of themselves put into their seats in the stadium for a fee in order to both raise funds for the club foundation and to ensure that if the Bundesliga resumes behind closed doors there will be an alternative form of home fan presence in the ground.
The initiative, which aims to ensure that Gladbach will still have an authentic crowd, runs under the title ‘Be There Still!: No Matter When, No Matter Where, No Matter How – Always By Our Side’.
For $20, fans of the foals (Borussia Mönchengladbach’s nickname) can have a mixed card and plastic figures with their photos on the faces erected in the shell seats or the breakwaters of the stands of the Borussia-Park, while season ticket holders can also specify their block and seat when ordering.
Egal wann, egal wo, egal wie. Immer an unserer Seite!
Überragende Aktion der besten Fans der Welt!
Sei dabei. Trotzdem!
Zu allen Infoshttps://t.co/ypX8AYwTkH
Zu deinem Pappkameradhttps://t.co/jCg2axstuB pic.twitter.com/fitt0rhOhS— Borussia (@borussia) April 16, 2020
The web and app based project, promoted across the club’s social channels, enables fans to order their own ‘Doppelgänger’ online at https://seidabei-trotzdem.de/
An English version of the site and the app is currently being developed to enable foreign-language fans to participate too.
The mechanic enables fans to take a photo of themselves for the dummy on the site which will be uploaded to o the Mönchengladbach (FPMG) fan project, while the financial transaction is hanlded separately via email.
The cost of a cardboard doppleganger is 19 euros (for processing and costs) with a further 2.50 euros going to the FPMG and to the ‘Borussia help Borussia’ club foundation.
No profit will be made from the project.
The idea has received support from players
‘At first I was a bit sceptical whether all of this would have the desired effect,” said midfielder Patrick Herrmann.
‘But the plastic figures come across super and are really realistic.’
While goalkeeper Yann Sommer added: ‘This is a great idea! I saw the first cardboard figures in the north curve this week and am very curious to see how many more will be added. It gives you the feeling that the fans are with us and it is important to them to be able to support us, which really strengthens us at this time.’
Outcome:
Within the first week around 5000 dopplegangers were ordered and after two weeks the club report that more than 12,000 cut-outs have been ordered (with 4,500 cardboard fans already in place in the stadium).
Comment:
‘We are overwhelmed by the number of followers participating,’ says Borussia’s fan representative Thomas Weinmann. ‘Every email is taken into account. However, these have to be worked through one after the other.’
Links:
Borussia Monchengladbach
https://www.facebook.com/borussia.global/?brand_redir=8732173482
https://www.youtube.com/user/borussiatv
https://www.instagram.com/borussia/
https://open.spotify.com/user/vflborussiam%25C3%25B6nchengladbach
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