On May 3, 2026, Wiesbaden was the next stop for an Awareness Matchday. In the run-up to the event, the club had a wonderful gesture ready for those affected by ME/CFS and their relatives: Up to 50 people who, despite their symptoms, were able to attend the match in the stadium (particularly those with mild to moderate ME/CFS) were invited to join in the “BRITA Lounge”, largely shielded from overwhelming stimuli. The club also provided us snacks and drinks.
Before kick-off, we were once again present with an information booth, supported by volunteers. During the half-time break, Aiden from the organizing team gave a short interview on the pitch. In the stands, a banner reading “Torn from everyday life, but never alone – CURE ME/CFS” was displayed. Our banner was also allowed to be hung on the fence throughout the entire match.
A special thank you goes to the Ultras from “Supremus Dilectio“, who put up posters for us and actively collected donations for Empty Stands and ME/CFS research. We would also like to thank all volunteers, SV Wehen Wiesbaden, and especially our contact person Leonie for the wonderful support.
On April 4, 2026, our Awareness Matchday in cooperation with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim during the home match against FSV Mainz 05 took place.
The highlight of the day was the walk-out action: Oli Baumann walked onto the pitch carrying a pair of shoes instead of a child, to symbolize the absence of children who suffer from ME/CFS. In addition, both teams sent an emotional message before the match by holding up a banner reading “CURE ME/CFS.” Oli Baumann also wore a captain’s armband bearing the inscription “CURE ME/CFS” throughout the entire match. Besides, cup deposit donations were donated to the ME/CFS Research Foundation.
Even before the match, the club had drawn attention to the campaign in various ways: a stadium interview was conducted with Aiden from our team, both on the village square and inside the stadium. The club also published an awareness reel on Instagram and an article on its website. As with all our campaigns, we were present with a stand to talk with fans about us and our conditions.
We would like to thank all volunteers on site and TSG Hoffenheim for their great support before and during the campaign. A very special thank you goes to Grischa Prömel, who also raised awareness of the condition on TV.
On March 28, 2026, we were guests at VfB Eichstätt during their match against Würzburger Kickers. Alongside the pitch, we ran an information stand to raise awareness among visitors about us and our conditions.
As a sign of solidarity, the team also stopped by for a group photo with us. In addition, one of our volunteers was interviewed at half-time. Around the match, the club raised awareness about us and our conditions through an interview on their website and a reel on Instagram.
We would like to thank VfB Eichstätt for this opportunity, and all the volunteers who helped us to run our information booth. A very special thank you goes to Lying Down Demonstration Regensburg, who supported us on-site and in the organisation of the awareness matchday.
On March 7, 2026, 1. FC Heidenheim hosted an awareness matchday for ME/CFS sufferers during their game against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. We were also present with a booth, which was managed on our behalf by a team of volunteers.
The awareness campaign featured an article in the stadium magazine as well as an interview with a relative of a person affected. We were particularly delighted by the walk-on activity, where the children entered the pitch wearing awareness shirts. These shirts featured our logo alongside the ME/CFS Research Foundation logo, as well as our motto “Missing from the Stands – Lost to ME/CFS”.
Additionally, our awareness video was shown on the stadium screen. Sponsors also supported the Awareness Matchday by donating advertising space for ME/CFS-related content. We would like to thank 1. FC Heidenheim and the sponsors, especially AOK, for organizing this event. A special thank you also goes to the volunteers who represented us.
On February 12, 2026, we were guests at SV Sandhausen. Our information stand allowed us to reach many people once again and raise awareness about our illnesses. Additionally, Charlotte gave a stadium interview before the match started. The ultra group “Szene 1916” also supported us with a banner. Before the game, an interview was published on the SV Sandhausen website in which Charlotte talked about us and her life with ME/CFS.
We would like to express our heartfelt thanks for the fantastic support from the club and to all the helpers on-site. A very special thank you goes to Denis from “Szene 1916“, who organized this campaign together with us. It was an extraordinary example of what solidarity with seriously ill people in our society should look like.
Friday evening – floodlights – 49,000 stadium visitors – SOLD OUT. Never before has one of our campaigns taken place in front of so many spectators. Perfect conditions for a top-class match between Hannover 96 and Schalke 04, as well as for our next matchday campaign, which was carried out as part of the nationwide “Day of Invisible Disabilities.”
In the run-up to the match, 96-fan Sina, daughter of someone affected by ME/CFS, and Anna from our organizing team visited the podcast “Vorwärts nach weit”. Additionally, 96-fan Meike, a long-time visitor of the North Stand and ME/CFS sufferer, was interviewed on the club’s homepage. On matchday itself, the organizing team was supported by five volunteers from Hannover and Essen, from the Lost Voices Foundation, and by Thomas Wheeler from “Deutschlandfunk Kultur”.
We set up am information booth in front of the stadium with our posters. There, we engaged in conversations with many fans and some international guests about ME/CFS in the hours before the kickoff. We were also able to collect donations for the ME/CFS Research Foundation and for our further campaigns. During the pre-match program, our awareness video and parts from the interview with Meike were shown on the video screens. Furthermore, a member of the organizing team was interviewed on the coaching bench about our engagement and ways to support us – absolutely goosebump-inducing moments.
We were particularly impressed by the awareness team “Das Ufer”. They were very friendly, interested, and appreciative toward us. We were provided with water, tea, and coffee. Beyond that, we would like to thank the Fan Project Hannover, Juri Geddert (CSR Manager for Corporate Responsibility and Project Work), “Rote Kurve” for the donations from sales of the “Sticker Mix” bags, our volunteers, the podcast “Vorwärts nach weit”, Thomas Wheeler from “Deutschlandfunk Kultur” for the media coverage of the Awareness Matchday, as well as all fans who encouraged us in various ways, donated, and contributed to making the campaign day a success. A very special thank you goes to Sina and Maike, who shared their personal experiences in advance during media appearances. Because of that, many fans were well informed about our Awareness Matchday and have shown much interest for our topic.
We’re already looking forward to our next campaigns. If you’d like to organize similar campaigns at your club and have contacts, please feel free to get in touch with us.
On October 24, 2025, the German Football Culture Awards were presented, and we were right in the thick of it. We, as EmptyStands, were nominated for the easyCredit Fan Prize “Barrier-Free to Football.” Unfortunately, we did not win the prize; it was apparently a very close call. The jury praised us several times (also in the conversation afterwards) and expressed their appreciation. Bittersweet, but the winners from the Inclusive Fan Clubs of TSG Wilhemsdorf also very much deserved it, and in the end, the evening was well spent networking and exchanging experiences, as there were many well-known faces there, and not just from the world of football. For instance, we sat in the immediate vicinity of Claudia Roth, Jürgen Klopp and Alexandra Popp. For the greats in football, Empty Stands is something quite new, but after yesterday, at least some have heard of us and know the basics of who we are and what our mission is.
At the award ceremony, alongside the Fan Prize, the Football Book and the Football Quote of the Year were also chosen. The jury’s decision for the football book went to Barbi Markovics “Piksi Book.” Juror and podcaster Danny Neidl described the novel in his laudatory speech as a “literary solo run – fast-paced, poignant, and deeply moving […].” For the Football Quote of the Year, everyone present was allowed to get involved and vote. The choices were “Then the dice will be rolled again” by Lothar Matthäus about the national team’s goalkeeper situation, as well as “I used to watch for 80 minutes, today it’s 90,” by Nils Petersen looking back on his role as a top joker. In the end, Nils Petersen won, and even if we won’t reveal here what we voted for, let it be said: we naturally voted for the only right quote. At the end of the evening, Jürgen Klopp received the Walther Bensemann Prize, an award for his cultural bridge-building, just as Walther Bensemann did in 1898 by organizing the first international match.
After the official part, a gala was held to celebrate the day. With appetizers, sparkling wine, and the occasional (unfortunately not stadium-) beer, the evening came to a nice conclusion. For my partner and me as Hertha fans, a small unofficial highlight consisted of meeting Hans Meyer, who led Hertha BSC to league safety in the 03/04 season. He took our enthusiasm with humor and asked if we knew that he wasn’t Jürgen Klopp. Yes, we knew, and that was exactly the reason for our excitement. After further intense conversations, a long, exciting day slowly drew to a close, and we left the stage of the after-show party to Thiemo Müller (Kicker), Jonas Karpka (journalist and activist), as well as Nikfried from “behindert nicht den Fußball” and all the others. Even without winning the prize, we were able to show everyone that Empty Stands does not belong on the substitution bench, but is an established force in the lineup of the barrier-free football world.
One year ago, we founded Empty Stands. It all started with a small chat between a few members with the vision of hanging up posters in stadiums. We could never have imagined what it would become within just one year.
At the same time, we want to take this opportunity to say thank you!
To the ME/CFS Research Foundation for the initial cooperation on matchday campaigns, to the clubs for the joint initiatives, and to the fan scenes and groups that have supported us. Thanks to all of you, we’ve already been able to reach many people and raise awareness about ME/CFS. Awareness Matchdays in Meppen, Bremen, Kaiserslautern, Babelsberg, Karlsruhe, and Osnabrück, as well as banners from numerous other fan scenes on the topic of ME/CFS (St. Pauli, Wolfsburg, Darmstadt, First Vienna, Wiener SC, RW Essen, and many more) mean a lot to us.
During the summer break, we also founded the Donation League. You can still sign up here. Besides, we’re currently producing a solidarity shirt. The earnings from both projects will be donated to the biomedical research of ME/CFS. Therefore, a big thank you to everyone who supports our projects. Every donation makes a difference!
But we also want to thank everyone who lent us an open ear. Whether journalists, friends and family, or fans at our campaigns. Just as we appreciate the support from the community and the work of our members. We’re also always grateful for the support from non-affected individuals who, with their contributions and/or contacts, provide important backing for our initiative. Every share, every mention, every conversation moves us forward.
At the same time, the situation for people affected by ME/CFS is unfortunately still very precarious. The awareness we’ve created for ME/CFS and the research funding we’ve generated are a success, but we need substantially more of both so that life no longer passes us by, but we can actively participate again. Therefore, we hope that many more clubs and fan groups will stand in solidarity with us to advocate for better care structures and biomedical research, and thereby raise their voices for over 650,000 affected people in Germany.
If you have contacts or information about clubs, fan scenes, media, or supporters, please get in touch with us.
Further campaigns and projects are already in the planning stages. We would be delighted if you continue to support us on our journey.
On September 20, 2025, our action matchday took place at VfL Osnabrück‘s match against Erzgebirge Aue. For me personally, it was the long-awaited return to Bremer Brücke – 847 days after the legendary promotion (90+6) on May 27, 2023, I was able to watch a VfL match live for the first time again. Together with seven volunteers from family, regional self-help groups, and other affected individuals, we drew attention to the lack of recognition and insufficient research surrounding ME/CFS. Already in the run-up to the action, we received much encouragement and support from regional media, the fan project and fan liaison officer, the fan department, as well as from the active fan scene, especially through the podcasts “steil und schnell” and “Ostkurvenchor”, which actively mentioned our campaign in their contributions.
On match day itself, interested fans could inform themselves about ME/CFS at an information stand between the North and East stands and engage in dialogue with our team. Additionally, donations were collected here for both “Empty Stands” and the “ME/CFS Research Foundation“.
Inside the stadium, our banners drew attention to our absence from stadiums as well as to our projects “Donation League” and the solidarity shirt (which could be pre-ordered until September 21, 2025) as ways to support the ME/CFS Research Foundation. Because only with sustainable biomedical research will it be possible in the medium to long term to return to our seats and stands in stadiums and in all other areas of life.
Furthermore, a brief interview was conducted with the stadium announcers during the pre-match program. Here we were particularly able to emphasize that we are acting on behalf of those who have become bedridden, “voiceless”, and invisible due to their illness, and that the perspective of caring and nursing relatives must also be taken into consideration. Besides, a sensational sum of 2,766 € was raised through cup deposit donations. Finally, the helpers were able to watch the match together from the North Stand in beautiful summer weather, which ended 3-1 for VfL.
For me personally, both the action day and the “crash” in the days following once again painfully demonstrated how close and yet far away a stadium visit with all its emotions, impressions, and social contacts is for those affected by ME/CFS.
We thank from the bottom of our hearts all donors, all volunteers, the fan project, the fan liaison officer, the fan department, the stadium announcers, as well as those responsible for the podcasts “steil und schnell” and “Ostkurvenchor” and the media representatives who gave a voice to those affected by ME/CFS and their relatives.
Author: Sonja
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