Forming a fan club
Dear Eintracht fans,
We’re delighted that you’re interested in forming an Eintracht fan club and joining our official fan club family. Our approval requirements aren’t overly strict, but we’d like to draw your attention to one or two important points: Your club should have an appropriate number of members, while the fundamental guidelines set out below must be met and abided by at all times.
You won’t need to draw up a constitution or operate as a registered association, as fan clubs are voluntary groups of supporters whose autonomy should be respected.
For your general information, the most important steps are listed below:
Approval as an official Eintracht Frankfurt fan club is granted by Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG, who have tasked the independent Eintracht Frankfurt Fanclubverband e. V. (EFFV) withprocessing applications and providing ongoing support to fan clubs.
The EFFV is an umbrella association and represents the interests of official EFCs. EFFV membership is voluntary.
Before entering into a probationary year for official fan clubs, your applications are examined and processed by the EFFV. Complete applications are generally processed by the EFFV within four weeks. Applicants are kindly asked to take this time frame into consideration when submitting their applications.
At the end of the probationary period, a final meeting will be held with the EFFV board. If the EFFV is satisfied that the fan club meets approval criteria, it will recommend approval of the fan club to the Fußball AG. The Fußball AG’s decision will be conveyed to the fan club via email. Grounds for refusal will be given in writing and the decision may not be contested. There is no legal claim for approval as an official fan club.
Furthermore, the status of all EFCs is reviewed at regular intervals to ensure all approval criteria are being maintained (e.g. by way of a questionnaire). Approval can be withdrawn anytime as long as justification is provided.
If we are unable to contact you for an extended period, we will assume the EFC has been disbanded, withdraw our approval and remove the EFC from the list of official Eintracht Frankfurt fan clubs.
Contact details should therefore always be kept up to date – particularly email addresses, as all correspondence takes place via email.
Please send queries or applications to Eintracht Frankfurt Fanclubverband e.V. kontakt@ef-fanclubverband.de.
Kind regards,
Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG Eintracht Frankfurt Fanclubverband e. V.
Fan representatives The board
Approval requirements
Official Eintracht Frankfurt fan clubs
Eintracht Frankfurt fan clubs are independent organisations that support Eintracht Frankfurt on their own responsibility and initiative. The title of “official fan club of Eintracht Frankfurt” is granted by Eintracht Frankfurt and brings with it certain privileges, such as reduced ticket prices. The requirements for being awarded this title are set out below. These take into account not only the interests of Eintracht Frankfurt but also German Football Association guidelines (non-violence, anti-racism etc.).
I. Approval criteria
A fan club will gain approval by Eintracht Frankfurt as an official fan club of Eintracht Frankfurt once the following criteria are met:
1.
Minimum number of members
a) In Germany: 15 Eintracht fans
b) Outside Germany: 7 Eintracht fans
2.
The applying fan club must provide three contacts
(e.g. a board) who are authorised to represent the fan club individually
vis-a-vis Eintracht Frankfurt. These contacts must have full legal capacity
and be aged 18 or over.
Eintracht Frankfurt/EFFV reserves the right to refuse contacts/representatives of an EFC who have been banned from other fan clubs or violated the requirements set out herein.
3.
The application must include a complete list of all fan club members, which must contain the surname, first name, date of birth and place of residence of every member. It is in the fan club’s best interest to update this list on a regular basis.
4.
Fan clubs must choose a name that contains a reference to Eintracht Frankfurt or a direct reference to the applying fan club itself (e.g. region or place names). Names that fail to meet these criteria are not permitted. Aggressive fan club names and names that could bring Eintracht Frankfurt or its fans into disrepute are also not allowed.
It is imperative to obtain the consent of the EFFV/Eintracht when changing an EFC’s name during its probationary year or following initial approval.
5.
Fan clubs must affirm in writing their commitment to non-violence. Failure to comply by a fan club or its individual members will result in said fan club being denied approval or having its approval withdrawn. Fan clubs are also responsible for ensuring that their members refrain from endangering stadium visitors through the use of pyrotechnics.
6.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s supporters traditionally stand for tolerance, diversity and political independence. Every fan club is obligated to ensure that its members do not to discriminate against another person on the grounds of gender, beliefs, ancestry, race, language, origin, religion or political views. The glorification of violence, sexism, xenophobia and political or religious extremism is incompatible with the values of Eintracht Frankfurt and the culture of its fans. Violations of these principles are grounds for denial or withdrawal of approval.
7.
Fan clubs whose members abuse their right to reduced ticket prices, e.g. by auctioning tickets via eBay and other online auction sites or by selling tickets on the black market, will be issued a warning. In cases of repeated offence, approval will be withdrawn. If it comes to our attention that individual members of a fan club have committed offences in relation to Eintracht Frankfurt events or home and away matches, or have publicly damaged the reputation of the club, the fan club in question will be issued a warning or have its approval withdrawn.
II. Approval procedure
Fan clubs wishing to be granted the title of “official fan club of Eintracht Frankfurt” must submit an application to Eintracht Frankfurt Fanclubverband e.V. (EFFV). The application procedure must be submitted electronically via www.ef-fanclubverband.de. Postal or email applications will not be accepted. The EFFV must ascertain whether approval criteria are being met and abided by.
If these criteria are met, the EFC enters into a so-called probationary year, at the end of which the fan club must provide the EFFV with an up-to-date list of members and EFC activities during the previous 12 months. At the end of the probationary year, a final meeting will be held with the EFFV board.
Upon positive assessment, the EFFV will recommend approval to the Fußball AG, requesting that the fan club be granted the official title. Certificates are awarded only once a year, at the annual fan club assembly.
Once granted the title, a fan club is entitled to privileges reserved by Eintracht Frankfurt for official fan clubs (e.g. reduced season ticket prices, fan merchandise, use of the legally protected eagle logo etc.).
III. Withdrawal of approval/title
Eintracht Frankfurt and the EFFV reserve the right to withdraw the approval of a fan club along with its “official” status in cases of violation of approval criteria set out in I. – in particular those listed in 4., 5., 6. and 7. Eintracht Frankfurt will notify the fan club in writing of the withdrawal. Privileges will cease upon receipt of the written verdict by a designated contact. This applies to both the EFC as a whole and all its individual members.
Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG Eintracht Frankfurt Fanclubverband
Fan representatives The board