On March 15, 2025, our first major matchday campaign took place during the Bundesliga game between Werder Bremen and Borussia M’gladbach. There, we raised awareness for ME/CFS on multiple levels.
Our awareness posters featuring the motif “Missing in the stands – lost to ME/CFS” were distributed throughout the stadium. Additionally, in cooperation with the ME/CFS Research Foundation, we operated a booth before the game where fans of both clubs could participate in the #LemonChallengeMECFS. In the pre-game program, Arndt Zeigler (stadium announcer), Leo Bittencourt (player), Oliver Hüsing (academy director), and Larissa Mühlhaus (player) also took part.
The Bremen Fan Project supported us with banners. One banner called for “More research for ME/CFS,” while another reading “We’re thinking of you, Julian” was dedicated to our member Julian (a fan of 1. SC Göttingen 05). Our “Empty Stands” banner also made its debut.
We thank the ME/CFS Research Foundation, Werder Bremen, the Fan Project, and all volunteers on site and behind the scenes who helped organize the matchday campaign. We are happy to have raised ME/CFS awareness in front of more than 42,000 fans and look forward to future actions—because this is only the beginning.
