Covid-19: various initiatives to augment matches behind closed doors and reinvent the fan experience

The Hana1Q K League is the first football championship, interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic (the start of the competition was postponed on 24/02/2020), to be resumed behind closed doors with the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors - Suwon Samsung Bluewings match (1-0) on 08/05/2020. During the match, in the absence of spectators, the stands displayed the message "#C-U-Soon Stay Strong" and pre-recorded fan songs were played.

As football resumes behind closed doors with, after South Korea, the restart of the Bundesliga scheduled for Saturday 16/05/2020, clubs and fans alike are looking to visualise and rethink the notion of the fan experience.

To get round the ban on access to the stands, more than 5,000 Borussia Mönchengladbach (Bundesliga) fans have reserved a life-size cardboard replica of themselves for the stands at Borussia Park (59,724 capacity) during future matches played behind closed doors (see below).

AGF Århus (3F Superliga, Danish first division) will offer the first virtual stand via the Zoom videoconferencing application (see below). Take the time to look back at an overview…