Borussia Dortmund offers fans rewards to put their phones away during matches

Borussia Dortmund are offering supporters signed shirts and official-store vouchers if they spend less time on their mobile phones during matches, in an attempt to restore the full stadium experience.

The German club, renowned for the atmosphere at Signal Iduna Park, launched the initiative with Vodafone on 24 October during their match against Eintracht Frankfurt. Called Fan Modus, it is designed to encourage supporters to focus on the action rather than recording or following events on their screens.

Fans can activate the feature through the club’s official app and earn points for every minute they remain off their phones. The longer they avoid using their devices, the greater their chance of winning prizes, including players’ signed shirts and shopping vouchers for the official club store.

The system allows supporters to check their phones at half-time without losing the points collected during the first half.

The initiative follows a 2023 Vodafone survey of 1,000 regular match-going fans, which found that 63% regularly used their mobile phones while in the stands. Almost two-thirds also said they checked their phones at sporting events.

Mobile use at football grounds now extends well beyond messages and social media. Supporters often film the stadium, national anthem, warm-ups, players entering the pitch, managers and substitutes, as well as controversial incidents. Some follow live statistics and online debate while the match is still being played, creating a second, digital version of the event alongside the action in front of them.

The same shift has affected how football is consumed away from stadiums. Goals, chances, cards and key moments can be watched in a short highlights package, rather than through the full 90 minutes. A Bango survey published in June 2026 found that 47% of respondents aged 18 to 24 had made match highlights a substitute for live broadcasts in their sports-watching habits.

Cost is also a factor, with some competitions requiring paid subscriptions and, at times, more than one platform. By contrast, goals and highlights are freely available online.

Social media has also made attendance a form of personal display. A 2024 Deloitte study into technology at live sporting events found that almost a quarter of fans used their phones to post on social media during matches, while 68% said they felt they spent longer than they should on their devices.

Influencers have become part of this landscape, receiving invitations, hospitality experiences, club products and access to VIP areas in return for promotional content. Critics argue that matches can sometimes become backdrops for advertising, particularly when online visibility appears more important than the contest itself.

Dortmund’s scheme does not seek to ban phones or social media. Instead, it uses incentives to encourage supporters to choose the match. A screen can show a goal and a highlights package can provide the score, but neither can fully reproduce the tension, noise and collective celebration of being inside the stadium.