Borussia Dortmund offers prizes to match-going fans who stay off phones during games New York Times (Online) Colin Millar Borussia Dortmund will reward its fans who do not use mobile phones during matches with a new “fan mode” app. The German Bundesliga club launched the scheme after a survey of 1,000 match-going fans found its supporters were becoming increasingly “annoyed by selfies, streaming, and social media in the stands”. To help combat this, Dortmund say they will offer signed club jerseys and gift cards for club merchandise to fans who use the new app, which will measure how often they unlock their phones at their stadium. The app, which will be voluntarily for all fans, will monitor how frequently a phone is unlocked during periods the club's matches, but this will not include the half-time break. Each fan will start using the app with a fixed number of points, which will diminish based on how often the phone is active during the period. “Over 81,000 people in the stadium, singing, cheering, and holding their breath together: this here and now is irreplaceable,” said Dortmund CEO Carsten Cramer, announcing the club's scheme. Vodafone, the phone company which is a sponsor of the club, said Dortmund was “using its innovative strength to protect the experience that no technology can replace”. Dortmund are the latest German club to acknowledge the downsides of technology in the stands and tap into fan sentiment on the issue. Earlier this month, 2.Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin said the club was banning “commercially produced and monetized” video productions from home matches in the capital. In August, Dynamo Dresden, another second-tier side, issued a reminder to 'vlogging' spectators that recording at its Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion for public distribution is prohibited. Dresden said that possession of recording equipment with the intent of in-stadium filming would only be tolerated with the “express prior permission” of the club. Hansa Rostock, who compete in the 3. Liga, said in December that vlogging had “increased significantly” and would not be tolerated by security staff. The club said recording intended to “go beyond private memories” onto monetized platforms were not accepted. Hansa signed off the statement by saying “leave your cameras in your backpack”.