Football fans are often told to put their phones away and enjoy the game. Borussia Dortmund are taking that message a step further – by offering rewards to those who do that!?The Bundesliga club have introduced a new "Fan Mode" feature in their official app, designed to encourage supporters to spend less time on their smartphones and more time watching the action at the stadium.The concept is simple, as Bild reports. Fans activate the feature on matchday and earn points for every minute their phone screen remains locked. They can use their devices during half-time, but must reactivate Fan Mode for the second half.Saturday, 19.30: (1.50) Dortmund (5.00) Eintr.Frankfurt (5.60)Once the final whistle blows, the scores are calculated, with the highest-scoring participants eligible to win prizes, including signed Borussia Dortmund shirts and vouchers for the club shop.Participation is voluntary, but there is one catch: the app needs access to the user's location to verify that they are actually inside the stadium.According to a Vodafone survey cited by Dortmund, 63 per cent of regular stadium-goers said they used their phones during matches. The survey, conducted in 2023 among 1,000 regular stadium visitors, highlights a habit that clubs increasingly want to address.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Selfies, social media posts and filming from the stands have become part of the modern matchday experience. Dortmund, however, want supporters to reconnect with what makes being at a game special: the noise, the tension, the celebrations and the shared emotions.The feature launches for Saturday's Bundesliga home game against Eintracht Frankfurt and is intended to be available at Dortmund's home matches.Drenched in sweat! Dortmund reportedly avoided Qarabag stadium showers over health fearsClub chief executive Carsten Cramer believes technology should sometimes take a back seat to the experience itself.With more than 81,000 supporters gathering at Signal Iduna Park, he stressed that the shared experience of singing, celebrating and holding one's breath together is irreplaceable.
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