Anna
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a deep connection with Werder – the club has been a huge part of my life. In 2021, a lifelong dream came true when I got a season ticket for the Weserstadion.
But in 2022, ME/CFS turned my entire life upside down. Making plans or commitments is no longer possible.
Whether I can attend matches depends entirely on how I feel that day – I never know if I’ll have enough strength. But this season ticket is my symbolic anchor, a reminder to never give up. Visiting my “living room” always heals a part of me, even if it takes everything out of me.
Charlotte
I’m Charlotte, 50 years old. I went to the Betzenberg for the first time 34 years ago, and since then I’ve experienced every cup win, league title, promotion, and relegation live in the stadium. I followed the team internationally and had away season tickets.
Around three years ago, after my second Covid-19 infection, I developed ME/CFS.
Now, everything is different. I had to give up my tickets for the cup final. I rarely manage to leave the house, and if I do, I usually need days to recover.
Fabian
I’ve been a fan of FC St. Pauli since 2002 and used to work at the club museum.
I started out on the Gegengerade and later moved to the Südkurve. Back then, I didn’t miss a single home or away game and often visited Babelsberg, Werder, and Marseille as well.
In 2023, I fell ill with Covid-19. Today, ME/CFS has left me 90% bedridden, and I’ve had to move back into my childhood
bedroom with my family. I can only follow matches via AFM Radio – and only if I’m well enough that day.
Isi
Football has been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I got my first ball when I was four, and started playing for a club when I was six.
At 16, I went to the Millerntor-Stadion for the first time – I fell in love with both the club and the city.
When I moved to Hamburg in 2019, I could finally attend matches regularly.
But since late 2022, ME/CFS has left me mostly housebound. Going to the stadium or playing myself is no longer possible.
Josi
A BVB supporter since the age of 12.
In the early days, I rarely made it to the stadium, but during my university years, I started going more regularly – mostly to the Westfalenstadion or Müngersdorfer.
After falling ill with Long COVID and ME/CFS in 2022, I kept trying to attend matches. But the crashes afterward became more severe and lasted longer each time. These days, I aim to go twice per season.
The rest of the games I luckily still get to watch on TV – just never with friends or at a pub.
Julian N.
Football has always been part of my life – playing and watching it for as long as I can remember.
In 2024, I caught Covid-19 and developed ME/CFS as a result. Since then, I’ve been mostly confined to bed; even
something as basic as taking a shower leaves me completely drained.
Cooking, walking, or anything that used to be part of everyday life has become impossible – almost everything from my previous life has vanished.
Now, even following football is only possible via live tickers, which makes staying connected to something I love incredibly difficult.
Julian W.
I’m 25 and have been living with ME/CFS since April 2022, following Covid-19 and another infection.
My season ticket for the Nordkurve at Borussia-Park is gathering dust – I can’t use it anymore. At first, I tried, but the post-exertional crashes worsened with each attempt. Eventually, I had to make the tough decision to stop going altogether, just to avoid further decline.
At least watching the matches on TV is still possible – though not with friends, since my energy is too limited for social contact.
Before falling ill, I was a student in industrial engineering and worked as a research assistant. Now, only a tiny
fraction of that is still feasible.
Karl
As a kid, I wasn’t quite sure where to channel my passion for football. Luckily, a friend once took me along to a Union Berlin match.
The atmosphere in the stadium – especially on the Waldseite during the anthem – and the shared feeling in the chants are now nothing but distant memories.
These days, I spend nearly 24/7 in bed.
At least watching some matches is still possible from time to time. But everything else from my former life – going to the playground with my daughter, cooking, working, walks, going to games – feels completely out of reach, like a distant, unreachable world.
Lars
I used to travel regularly to away games with Werder.
In March 2022, I caught Covid-19 at a match in Heidenheim. Since then, I’ve been dealing with Long COVID and the chronic condition POTS.
At one point, I was almost completely bedridden. Things have improved somewhat, but because of POTS, I can no longer stand for extended periods, and traveling is extremely exhausting.
I still make it to a few home games now and then, but they take more out of me than the longest weekend train trips ever did. Even for amateur football, I now depend on having a seat.
Sonja
I’m Sonja, 35, and in “real life” I’m a social worker – I even wrote my bachelor’s thesis with the fan project in Osnabrück.
Before Post-Vac and ME/CFS hit, I was a regular at VfL Osnabrück home and away matches, and also competed in powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting at a high level.
None of that is possible anymore.
At least I’ve been able to return as a judo coach for children.
Still, I renew my season ticket every year – I made myself a promise to one day return to my spot in the Ostkurve.
Tim
Played sports in a club growing up – first handball, then football.
Started going to FC Zürich matches regularly only as an adult, but once I did, I was hooked.
All of that came to an abrupt halt after an infection.
Luckily, my condition is considered moderate – I can still manage short outings. Even so, not long after moving out, I had to move back in with my parents.
Since then, I’ve been lying on the couch and have had to pause my university studies indefinitely.
Biomedical research could give people like us our lives back.