Cardboard cutout fans are set to be a significant feature of Premier League football when the game returns behind closed doors later this month. The Athletic has learnt that eight top-division clubs — including Brighton and Newcastle — are currently in discussions with organisations to supply them with replica supporters. Wolves, meanwhile, announced on Friday that they were going to cover part of Molineux — the Sir Jack Hayward Stand — with a giant flag that would feature a mosaic of fans’ faces.
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Though the other 11 clubs may not follow suit, all fans in the division could be given an opportunity to take part as some suppliers are encouraging clubs to also cater for a virtual away support. Brighton, for example, who The Athletic understand are strongly considering the idea, have home fixtures against Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal in their final nine games, which would mean fans from those clubs will also be able to pay to have cutout versions of themselves in the stands at The Amex.
There had been some uncertainty that the initiative — pioneered by Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga and now being offered to clubs by a number of different companies — would be permitted by the Premier League and UK broadcasters, who want control over the overall look of stadiums. But it is thought that they are now comfortable with the concept, having outlined their conditions for Project Restart. Lower tiers and portions of larger seating areas are going to be wrapped, which will allow the league’s branding to appear. However, upper areas of stands will be available for clubs to use as they wish, including incorporating cardboard fans.
If clubs follow the example of Gladbach, the process — which involves fans uploading photographs to an online system that are printed onto recyclable cardboard and fastened to a seat — will cost in the region of £20-25 for the final games of the season, with proceeds likely to go to local community or NHS projects. Although approximately 40 per cent of the original fee will likely cover the administration, manufacture, supply and fitting, depending on uptake, clubs could raise a sizeable sum for charity. Newcastle’s food bank project is aiming to commandeer a section of St James’ Park to help raise vital funds.
In the EFL, The Athletic understands Nottingham Forest are likely to also have cutout fans in their stadium. One local business — Tennants UK, which usually manufactures number plates and road signs — has developed an app to help the process. They are expecting to sign contracts with a couple of English clubs before the restart of the season.
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While part of the plan is to encourage fans to stay at home and look out for their image on television rather than be tempted to congregate near grounds, the option is there for lower-league clubs to use this as an opportunity to help their cashflow due to a lack of gate receipts. If behind-closed-doors football extends into next season, this could become a necessary longer-term revenue stream and ensure clubs keep connected with their fanbase.
The idea in Germany was the brainchild of Gladbach fan Ingo Muller, who contracted COVID-19 before lockdown and was unable to go and watch the games. “His wife had got tired of his constant moaning of not being able to go to games and basically said to him, ‘Why don’t you stick your face on some cardboard and send it to the stadium?’,” says Tom Hickson, one of the co-founders of “Stay at home, be at the game” initiative alongside Muller. “He then started that idea with the supporters club and lo and behold, a week or so later, there were 14,000 fans that wanted to do this.”
At Gladbach’s 54,000-seater Borussia Park, that number has now increased to 23,000. Fans of other clubs that haven’t followed Gladbach’s lead in the Bundesliga have decided to join in when their team visits Borussia Park, with Dortmund supporters and others backing the campaign in the designated away end.
Although two-dimensional fans aren’t able to generate any noise, Gladbach’s players are known to be in full support of the project because it offers a reminder that supporters are invested in the side, even though they aren’t in the stadium.
“We had amazing immediate feedback from the Gladbach team,” says Hickson. “They were amazed how, when you glance in the heat of the moment it feels like somebody’s there. It’s almost like there’s a presence. And when they can see those flashes of images of the cardboard cutouts wearing colours that also makes a difference as well.”
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In Australia, a similar initiative from another company in the National Rugby League led to the system being abused. There was a cardboard cutout of prime minister Boris Johnson’s chief advisor Dominic Cummings at Sydney Roosters’ match against the South Sydney Rabbitohs and was picked up by TV viewers. Organisers working with English football clubs — some of whom will carry out the installations themselves, rather than require clubs to do so — will require rigorous registration and vetting processes to be in place to avoid any embarrassing repeats. There will be a big audience watching from home.
(Photo: Christian Verheyen/Borussia Moenchengladbach via Getty Images)