https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52192189

An interesting story on BBC website. Perhaps one for @DangerousSausageto add further commentary. Presumably Red Bull Leipzig have taken over as the #1 club.... just really disappointed to see Lokomotive's current crowds of 3k

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of those weird, but wonderful stories where it shows that football is more than just a game.

Very interesting story.

It's a good story, nice to see fans helping out to keep a club going.

What will football give us next? Invisible match.

Good idea, it paid off for them big time.

Quote

"There's going to be a live stream from the stadium, the floodlights will be switched on and our internet radio commentators will be working on the game," he said. "I can't tell you more at the moment."

It's an inventive idea - I've seen a few clubs try it, but none have sold so many tickets. I'd love to know that they've got in store. Maybe they're trying to think of something themselves 

If you want to kill some time on the internet, look up Lokomotive Leipzig, they're an interesting club. They were never really one of the big guns in the GDR, although they won the cup a few times. After reunification they renamed themselves VfB Leipzig (in honour of the original VfB Leipzig, an unrelated club that became the first German champions in 1903 but were wound up before the war). They played one season in the Bundesliga in the 90s but went bust. The present club are the fourth incarnation now and are second in the fourth division on goal difference with a game in hand. If the season is decided on a points-per-game basis and promotion is awarded, they might yet get to make the step up.

3000 isn't a bad average crowd at all in the regionalised fourth division, about half the clubs there get crowds in the hundreds. Crowds really jump when you go up to the third division.

i wonder if any english clubs will do the same, i can imagine notts doing the same thing and charging fans to watch one of the anglo italian cup finals.

It was the try, what was the worst that could happen? It worked out with the right approach.

Notts should try their hands at selling tickets for their re-run games and see if they can donate a percentage to charity.

6 hours ago, DangerousSausage said:

3000 isn't a bad average crowd at all in the regionalised fourth division, about half the clubs there get crowds in the hundreds. Crowds really jump when you go up to the third division.

Not bad at all for where they're in their league system, but selling those tickets is impressive too.

Not a bad way to ask for support from fans, it's creative and has caught on by the looks of it.

Sell out stadium when they return? Majority being invisible.  

Nobody needs to give Notts ideas, they can find things to do themselves by looking elsewhere. ????

It's a creative idea, that's for sure!

Its not a bad idea

@Piethagoram I think its actually a neat idea to support a club in need, 80p is nothing and to them it would be everything.

Great idea that worked, if it didn't it could have looked a little silly but this is the magic of football.

It's good to see the idea worked out, it could have gone in a different direction but if it saves the club during this period it will prove to have been a great idea.

Update: Lok have been crowned champions of the Regionalliga Nordost and will play a two-legged play-off against SC Verl for a place in the third division.

The matches will be played behind closed doors, but the club has had a great idea. Fans can buy toy pigs (which are considered lucky) for €15 a pop, which will then be seated in the stadium for the first leg (see below for an artist's impression). For the second leg, the animals will then make the journey to Verl to hopefully witness a promotion triumph.

I feel an email coming on...