We are Empty Stands – a support group of football fans from Germany, Austria and Switzerland so far living with ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), Long COVID and Post-Vac. More than 100 fans from more than 50 different clubs are currently active in our Signal group.
Due to our disease, we can only express our passion for football to a very limited extent. Some of us are occasionally able to attend matches in the stadium, but we often have to accept a deterioration in our condition (“crash”) in the following days. However, for most of us going to stadiums remains just a dream. Some of us no longer even have the energy to watch our clubs’ matches on TV or listen to them on the radio.
We are currently organizing campaigns with various fan groups in support of the ME/CFS Research Foundation to raise more awareness and funding for ME/CFS research. As football is our shared passion, we want to use it to raise awareness of the disease, encourage donations and to voice our demands to the public. Our self-help chat on Signal also provides those affected with the opportunity to exchange experiences and support each other.
The copyright for the coats of arms belongs to the respective clubs.
Our campaigns
We have already organised campaigns with several German football clubs. In particular, Werder Bremen and Hamburger SV from the Bundesliga, Karlsruher SC and 1. FC Kaiserslautern from the 2nd Bundesliga, Hannover 96 from the 2nd Bundesliga, VFL Osnabrueck from the 3rd league, as well as SV Meppen and SV Babelsberg 03 (Regionalliga – 4th division) have supported us strongly.
They gave us the opportunity to show our awareness video on the stadium screen and set up an information stand where our friends could inform visitors about ME/CFS. A player from Hamburger SV also walked onto the pitch with a pair of shoes in place of a child to symbolize the absence of children suffering from ME/CFS.
Fans of FC St. Pauli, VfL Wolfsburg (Bundesliga), Darmstadt 98 (2nd Bundesliga), Altona 93 (5th Division), Wiener SC (Regionalliga – 3rd division, Austria) and several other clubs have also shown solidarity by preparing banners for us.
How you can support us
- Donate to the ME/CFS Research Foundation. You can be sure that 100% of your donations go into biomedical research.
- Connect with other sufferers or their relatives, as planning campaigns requires energy, which we don’t have much of.
- Contact clubs and fan groups to ask for their support.
As ME/CFS is a global issue, we are grateful for international supporters who help us raise awareness. If you would like to learn from our experiences to start your own campaigns in your country, don’t hesitate to contact us!
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