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There was some goosebumps when on Saturday (19.09.20) at 2:45 pm in the Frankfurt Arena loud cheers broke out. At the time, the blue seat shells were sparsely occupied, which was enough for Kevin Trapp’s warm-up to be the first emotional thrill. The storm of applause was so strong that the national goalkeeper, visibly moved, raised his hand several times.
There is no doubt: the behavior of the 6,500 spectators admitted to the Eintracht Frankfurt stadium in the Bundesliga start against Arminia Bielefeld (1: 1) was at least as important as the sports comparison against the promoted team. Stadium announcer Bartosz Niedzwiedzki then praised local fans: “That worked wonders. Thanks for the cooperation.” The unit’s voice had struck the correct note.
The seating plan is fulfilled
198 days after the last home match with spectators, the DFB Cup quarter-finals against Werder Bremen (2-0), the fans created an atmosphere that felt like Bundesliga football again, but also looked extremely disciplined. “For the first step towards normality”, notified Niedzwiedzki before kick-off, “We have to observe some requirements in the hygiene concept. If you want to eat or smoke, please, only in the seat.”
When the ticket was assigned, Eintracht had provided an occupancy plan in which four free spaces were left to the right and left, and a distance of more than 1.50 meters to the front and rear had to be maintained. Apparently this assignment was followed up very well. Under these conditions, singing was not only allowed, but also desired: the small brochure of the day headed the request in Hessian dialect: “… and to make it sound like a complete Hüttsche, it would be nice if you sing 8 times louder …” Like the hymn of unity “In the heart of Europe” rang out, many actually roared as fervently as if they had to sing for the missing colleagues. Subsequently, Arminia’s coach, Uwe Neuhaus, also did not skimp on compliments: “It was a small start with a nice atmosphere. You had the impression at the stadium that someone was interested in us again.”
There are no crowds at the kiosks.
It was relatively quiet in the stalls. On the one hand, because 6,500 visitors in a soccer stadium designed for 51,500 spectators represent only 12.6 percent of the allowed capacity. On the other hand, perhaps because there was no alcohol available. The clubs had agreed to this at a league meeting weeks ago, and the banning of invited fans and the standing space exemption, with the exception of Union Berlin, were tied to it.
What was noticed on the way to the Frankfurt city forest: Many fans drank the beer they had brought from half-liter cans on the way, as did the popular “Fan Treff Waldstadion” in the immediate vicinity of the main entrance that sells alcoholic beverages. A small group brought a full case of cider, but that was the exception.
Positive: The distances in the stands, stairs or corridors remained almost exemplary, better than in any weekly market or in the shopping centers of the main metropolis. The Eintracht had also clearly marked with spray paint on the pavement how to maintain the necessary distance from the vehicle ahead. An hour before the start of the match, a long queue formed in front of the large Eintracht fan shop below the main stand, as access was strictly regulated; there was nothing to complain about here either.
The health department asks for reinforcements
In the afternoon game in Dortmund, everything looked great in the stadium. The association and the politicians reached a satisfactory conclusion. “Congratulations to the audience for their disciplined behavior in all respects”said the Mayor of Dortmund, Ullrich Sierau, in a message distributed by BVB. The fact that only 9,300 instead of the possible 10,000 spectators saw Borussia Westphalia’s 3-0 win was due to a prescribed timing key. The vast majority of buyers had to have a primary residence in Dortmund in order to win the tender. This quota was not fully used.
Admission was possible for all ticket holders from 4 pm to 5 pm Later spaces were allocated every 15 minutes to equalize the rush. Before the ticket was reviewed for the first time, there were queues at least at the entrance to the south stand where minimum spaces were ignored. “We need reinforcements here”demanded an employee of the health department, who observed the influx with two colleagues. Following a request from the security service, the fans moved away a bit, but from a distance of 1.5 meters they were usually quite far.
Admission in Dortmund certainly still needs improvement, after passing the stadium gates there were no notable violations of the hygiene concept, disciplined compliance was observed.
Spectators protect their mouths and noses well
Also in Frankfurt, visitors wore the necessary protection for the mouth and nose on the access routes, on the walkways, on the stairs. Only in the assigned seat, according to the instructions, fans must remove the mask. With fade-ins in the new video cube under the folding roof, the audience was repeatedly faced with the most important rules.
The overall impression: The willingness of Eintracht supporters seemed enormously high to support the concept. In the sanitary areas, previously identified as the bottleneck, no crowds were formed either. Was it the lack of beer? As a precaution, every second urinal was covered with plastic film so as not to create unnecessary proximity here. “When everyone is intrinsically motivated”CEO Axel Hellmann had previously said that the concept could be implemented successfully very easily.
The club will definitely not play as “pandemic police” to put spectators in their place. The group with the most voice, the Eintracht Ultras, had not bought any tickets because they did not accept the general conditions with personalized tickets. However, Frankfurt coach Adi Hütter was happy with the acoustics: “The 6,500 spectators did an excellent job. It was a good and correct step, and a great atmosphere.”
There is little to say against a raise
After the final whistle, the stadium quickly emptied, although the stadium announcer had asked not to leave immediately, but to see the press conference and the Bundesliga summary on the video cube. Only a small number made use of this offer. Two separate S-Bahn stations were set up so as not to produce too many contacts at the exit.
A proper process is essential to increase the number of spectators in places like Frankfurt. Therefore “concept of dynamic audience in times of the corona pandemic” provides a second variant for the Hessian Bundesliga club with a capacity utilization of 22 percent, corresponding to 11,275 visitors. After the first impression, there is not much to speak against not allowing that.
Stall: 19.09.2020, 23:01
