Bayern and Dortmund differ over an app rewarding phone-free fans

Key takeaways

• Borussia Dortmund has introduced an app called Fan Mode, which rewards supporters for staying off their phones while they are in the stadium.
• Bulinews reports that FC Bayern sales chief Rouven Kasper seemed somewhat dismissive of the Dortmund app.
• Bulinews reports that Borussia Dortmund CEO Carsten Cramer defended the club's reasoning a day after Kasper's remarks.
• The exchange matters beyond the two clubs because stadium phone use affects atmosphere, sponsorship, digital reach and supporter data.
• The material available for this article does not explain the rewards, how the app verifies phone use or how many supporters use it.

What is happening between Bayern and Dortmund?

Two of German football's most prominent commercial executives have taken different public positions on a small piece of matchday software. According to Bulinews, Dortmund has launched an app named Fan Mode that rewards supporters who stay off their phones while inside the stadium. FC Bayern sales chief Rouven Kasper seemed somewhat dismissive of the idea. A day later, Borussia Dortmund CEO Carsten Cramer defended the reasoning behind it.

This is a disagreement about an idea, not a dispute between the clubs over rules. No competition regulation is at issue in the reported material, and nothing suggests that either club is seeking to change how the other operates. Each executive has simply been reported as taking a view on whether an app of this kind makes sense.

The important limits should be stated plainly. The summary used for this article does not set out the rewards on offer or how the app establishes that a phone has gone unused. It also does not reproduce the detail of either executive's argument, so this article does not attempt to characterise their words beyond what Bulinews reports.

Why is the app in the news now?

The immediate reason is the sequence of comments. Kasper's reported remarks drew attention to a new product, and Cramer's response the following day turned one executive's reaction into a public exchange between two clubs. Bulinews presented the episode as an interview-led story, placing the sceptical view from Munich beside the defence from Dortmund.

The pairing also explains why the story has travelled further than a typical product launch. Clubs introduce apps, loyalty features and digital services regularly, and most attract little comment from rivals. This one stands out because of its unusual premise: a football club is offering supporters an incentive to spend less time on their devices during a match, at a time when clubs commonly seek more digital engagement from their audiences.

The fact that the critic and the defender both work on the business side of their clubs gives the exchange additional interest. Their disagreement touches on how a football club should think about the attention of the people inside its ground, and that question sits close to the centre of modern club revenue.

What background does a newcomer need?

Fan Mode is easier to understand with some knowledge of how German clubs are run. Under the Bundesliga's 50+1 rule, a parent club's members must generally retain majority voting control of its professional football operation. This limits the ability of outside investors to take control and helps keep supporter culture prominent in discussions of how clubs should behave.

That does not make German clubs uncommercial. Bayern's football business operates as a company with corporate minority shareholders, while Dortmund's football company is listed on the stock market. Both must generate revenue from sponsorship, media, merchandise and matchday business. Their executives therefore work between two sets of expectations: those of members and supporters, and those of commercial partners and, in Dortmund's case, shareholders.

The stadium itself is another part of the picture. Germany has retained a strong culture of standing terraces and organised support, and many supporters regard the live atmosphere as central to the identity of a club. At the same time, phones have become part of attendance. Fans use them for filming, messaging and checking other information, while many clubs use digital channels for tickets, offers and communication. An app that rewards phone abstinence sits where those two realities meet.

Who is affected, and how?

Supporters in the stadium are the most directly affected, though the extent depends on details not available here. A supporter's experience will depend on the value of the rewards, whether taking part requires an account and how strictly any phone-free period is measured. An incentive might appeal to those who already watch with their phones in their pockets, while offering less to those who regard filming or messaging as part of the day out.

Club commercial departments have a different stake. Clips and photographs posted by supporters can spread a club's image at no direct cost, and sponsors may value activity linked to a matchday. An initiative that reduces phone use could, in theory, reduce some of that activity. It could also create a new relationship between the club and supporters who sign up, depending on how the scheme is built.

Sponsors, broadcasters and rival clubs are affected more indirectly. Sponsors may ask how attention inside stadiums is being valued, while rival clubs may watch to see whether the concept gains any traction. Whether any partner is involved in Fan Mode, or has expressed a view on it, is not known from the material used here.

Where do informed people disagree?

The arguments below describe the general debate around this type of scheme. They should not be read as the specific positions of Kasper or Cramer, whose detailed reasoning is not set out in the available summary.

Supporters of the idea can argue that a live match is a shared experience that is weakened when attention drifts to a screen. On this view, a club is entitled to encourage behaviour that benefits everyone in the ground, and a reward is gentler than a ban because it leaves the choice with the individual.

Sceptics can raise several objections. There is an obvious paradox in using a phone app to reduce phone use. Rewards may also go mostly to people who would have behaved the same way without them, which would limit any real change in the stadium. Some people might add that supporters have paid to attend and do not need a club to shape how they enjoy the occasion, or that the atmosphere in a German ground depends more on organised fan culture than on a loyalty feature.

A further argument concerns motive. A scheme can be read as a sincere attempt to protect atmosphere, as a way to deepen a club's digital relationship with supporters, or as both. Without published evidence about its design and results, the question remains open.

What are the practical implications?

For a supporter considering the app, the sensible first step is to read its official terms. Those should explain what must be done to earn a reward, what the reward is and what information the app requests. Because the scheme runs in Germany, European data protection law applies to any personal data it processes, and clubs must explain their use of such data to users.

There is also a practical matter of how a phone-free rule fits with other matchday needs. Many clubs now rely on mobile ticketing and digital communication, and a supporter may need a device for entry, for travel or to stay in touch with family. How Fan Mode treats such ordinary uses is not known from the material available here.

For other clubs, the lesson is about what can be measured. A club can count downloads and reward claims fairly easily. Establishing whether a stadium has become louder or more engaged is much harder, and it would be difficult to attribute any change to one app. Any claim of success therefore deserves to be examined closely.

What should readers watch next?

The most useful developments would be factual rather than rhetorical. Dortmund could publish more information about how the app works, how many supporters use it and how rewards are earned. Figures of that kind would allow a more meaningful assessment than an exchange of executive opinions.

The response of organised supporter groups is another point to follow, because their view often carries weight in German football debates. Their position on the app is not known from the material used here.

Other clubs may also reveal their thinking through what they do. A Bundesliga rival introducing a similar feature would suggest that the concept has wider appeal, while the absence of imitators would be consistent with the scepticism attributed to Bayern's sales chief, though not proof of it. In either case, the wider question will remain: how much of a supporter's attention a club should seek to shape once that supporter is inside the ground.

Frequently asked questions

What is Borussia Dortmund's Fan Mode app?

Fan Mode is a Borussia Dortmund app that, according to Bulinews, rewards supporters for staying off their phones while in the stadium. The summary used for this article does not describe the specific rewards, the way participation is verified or the conditions of use. Supporters seeking those details should consult Dortmund's official information and the terms published with the app.

What did Rouven Kasper say about Dortmund's Fan Mode app?

Bulinews reports that FC Bayern sales chief Rouven Kasper seemed somewhat dismissive of Dortmund's Fan Mode app. The summary available for this article does not provide his exact wording or full reasoning, so no direct quotation is offered here. Readers who want his precise comments should consult the original Bulinews interview report rather than rely on a paraphrase.

How did Carsten Cramer respond to Bayern's criticism?

Bulinews reports that Borussia Dortmund CEO Carsten Cramer defended the club's reasoning for Fan Mode a day after Rouven Kasper's remarks were reported. The summary available for this article does not set out Cramer's specific arguments. It confirms the sequence of the exchange and the fact of the defence, but not the detailed case made for the app.

Why would a football club want fans to use their phones less?

A club might want supporters to pay closer attention to the match and contribute more to the shared atmosphere of the stadium. A reward offers encouragement without imposing a ban, leaving the decision with each supporter. Dortmund's detailed reasoning is not set out in the summary used here, so this is a general explanation rather than the club's stated case.

Does the 50+1 rule have anything to do with Fan Mode?

The 50+1 rule does not directly regulate apps like Fan Mode. It generally requires a parent club's members to retain majority voting control of its professional football operation. It matters here as context, because German clubs must balance commercial activity with strong member and supporter expectations, and that balance shapes how initiatives affecting the stadium experience are likely to be debated.

Could an app that rewards phone-free fans raise privacy concerns?

It could, depending on how it is built and what information it collects. An app that verifies phone use or links rewards to a user account may process personal data, and European data protection law would apply to that processing. The data handling of Fan Mode is not described in the material used here, so users should check its official privacy notice.

Sources and further reading

• Bulinews: the reported account of Rouven Kasper's remarks and Carsten Cramer's response, and the source of this article's facts about the exchange.
• Borussia Dortmund official channels: the appropriate place to check Fan Mode's features, terms and privacy information.
• Deutsche Fußball Liga publications: reference material on the league's structure, licensing and the 50+1 ownership rule.
• European Union data protection guidance: general background on the obligations that apply when apps process personal data.