Major Awareness Matchday

Content

• Goals
  • Campaign slogan: Missing from the Stands – Lost to ME/CFS!
  • Suggested Toolkit: Which awareness campaigns would we like to do with you?
• Before the Matchday
  • Info package about the campaign
  • Press
  • Social media activities by the club
• On Matchday/In the Stadium
  • Posters in the stadium
  • Information booth outside the stadium
  • Campaign video in the stadium
  • Play “You’ll never walk alone”
  • Stadium announcer
  • Player entrance/warm-up actions
  • Advertising boards
  • Large pitch banner
  • Donation activities
  • After the Match
• Follow-up

Goals

• Raise awareness about the severe multisystem disease ME/CFS
• Highlight the impact of ME/CFS for football fans (affected fans can no longer attend matches, ME/CFS can potentially affect anyone after an infection)
• Fundraising for more ME/CFS research (via ME/CFS Research Foundation)

Campaign slogan: Missing from the Stands – Lost to ME/CFS!

• Give visibility to “lost” fans who can no longer attend in the stands – some can only follow matches via radio or live ticker
• Fans should be seen despite their “invisible” illness

Suggested Toolkit: Which awareness campaigns would we like to do with you?

Before the Matchday

Info package about the campaign

• To members (e.g., via membership magazine)
• To supporter clubs (possibly encourage banners/slogans)

Press

• Joint press release announcing the campaign day
• Interviews in the club magazine or on the club website
• Guest post by a fan affected by ME/CFS on YouTube/social channels

Social media activities by the club

• Horizontal demonstration of the team (example)
• Sharing of the campaign announcement story by Empty Stands
• Visual materials for press releases and post-match coverage
• Connect the club foundation with the ME/CFS Research Foundation
• Share our campaign video
• Share regularly our donation league

Play “You’ll never walk alone”

• Show names/faces of those severely affected or lost to ME/CFS on the stadium screen

Stadium announcer

• Live interview before the match or a dedicated speech
  • e.g., 3 questions about the campaign
  • Or ~3 minutes speaking time for representatives of Empty Stands or ME/CFS Research Foundation
• Recordings can be used for social media and website post-match

Player entrance/warm-up actions

• Players and entrance kids wear solidarity shirts
• Players wear solidarity shirts during warm-up
• Team photo for social media use
• Players hold signs: “Greetings to all ME/CFS fans watching from home”
• Later auction of match-worn jerseys and shirts to support research
• Blue armbands
• Moment of silence before the match for those who died of ME/CFS

Advertising boards

• ME/CFS Research Foundation
• Empty Stands

Large pitch banner

• e.g., at the center circle before kickoff

Donation activities

• Cup deposit donation collection
• Sale of “solidarity drink” (e.g., lemonade, hot drinks) in support of the foundation
• Auction of (signed) match jerseys, announced by the stadium announcer

After the Match

• Announcement by the stadium announcer (thanks & reminder to fans for their support)
• Display of a performance stat graphic
  • e.g. ball touches by players vs social contacts of ME/CFS patients, shown on the scoreboard

Follow-up

• Social media from club, ME/CFS Research Foundation, and Empty Stands
• Press release with campaign pictures, donation total, and summary