CROWD SOURCING
MARION McMULLEN looks at how sport is filling the fan gap, as football kicks off once more
CARDBOARD pictures of fans, left, were placed in the stands prior to the first German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen. Soccer fan Ingo Muller came up with the idea when he discovered he would not be able to watch his beloved Bundesliga team from the stands, because of Covid-19 restrictions, so instead organised almost 14,000 cut-outs of supporters.
THE German Bundesliga was the first major soccer league to resume games and it saw fans hanging football shirts over the seats at the stadium in Cologne for the match between FC Cologne and FSV Mainz 05 in Cologne, Germany, above. Supporters have also been able to watch live matches from home or at the first pubs that have been allowed to reopen.
PREMIER League team Brighton has offered its season-ticket holders the chance to purchase their own cut-out to sit at the Amex for games when football restarts in England next week. The cut-outs cost £20 each and will be positioned in the upper tier of the East Stand.
TOP Spanish football competition La Liga is using virtual images of fans in the soccer stands during the television broadcasts of matches. Added “fan audio” is being used to create the sound of the crowd, and the technology will see the virtual fans cheering when goals are scored and groaning when penalties are missed.
THE Danish Super League season returned of after a two-month absence. Fans were streamed live on screens on the sidelines of the pitch as part of a virtual grandstand during a 3F Super League football match at Ceres Park in Aarhus, and cardboard “spectators” were placed in the stands. The Zoom wall allowed 10,000 fans to watch the match live.
FANS in the Czech Republic took to their cars to cheer the return of football. They watched coverage of the first division football match between
FC Viktoria
Plzen and
AC Sparta
Praha from a drive-in movie theatre in Pilsen. The live match was shown on a big screen with fans enthusiastically sounding their car horns during the action.
WOLVES fans are being offered the opportunity to be part of a giant crowd mosaic at the club’s ground at Molineux. Wolverhampton Warriors play their first match against Bournemouth on June 24, behind closed doors, but say fans can make their presence felt by becoming part of the mosaic.
A CARDBOARD cut-out of Boris Johnson’s aide Dominic Cummings was spotted at an National Rugby League game in Sydney. The Australian match between Roosters and Rabbitohs last month invited fans to do cardboard cut-outs of themselves to be in the “crowd” watching the game.
PICTURES of fans filled the stadium for the Hungarian first division soccer match between Ferencvarosi TC and Debreceni VSC in the Groupama Arena in Budapest. The match was played behind closed doors because of the ongoing coronavirus, but “fans” wearing their team’s colours still made sure it was a full house.
SOUTH Korean football club FC Seoul apologised after they used sex dolls instead of mannequins to fill seats during a K League match at their empty stadium. Some of the dolls had been dressed in the club’s colours, while others were holding placards supporting the team.