Alexander Jobst [#31]: Why Fortuna Dusseldorf Decided to Give Their Tickets Away for Free with CEO

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Alexander Jobst, CEO at Fortuna Dusseldorf, a football club based in the North of Germany and competing in the second tier, Bundesliga 2.

Fortuna’s home, the Merkur Spiel Arena, hosted a number of matches during this summer’s European championships, including England’s 5-3 penalty win over Switzerland in the quarter finals, which was witnessed live by almost 47,000 fans. One of the greatest challenges facing Alex in his role at CEO, is achieving similar attendance figures throughout the club season - which led to the innovative launch of 'Fortuna for All.'

Almost three years into the role, Alexander has leant heavily on his past experiences working with the likes of Siemens, Real Madrid, FIFA, and FC Schalke on areas around commercialisation and internationalisation.

We discuss what he has learnt over his career and how this has lead him to such a unique solution now that he is at the helm at Fortuna...

Timestamps

2:00 - Journey to becoming CEO

5:00 - Fortuna Düsseldorf's Long-Term Vision

8:00 - Fortuna for All: Concept and Implementation

10:00 - Business Model and Revenue Impact

13:00 - Fan Loyalty and Community Building

15:00 - Digital Transformation and Future Plans

20:00 - Commercial Partnerships and Sustainability

29:00 - Applying the Model Elsewhere

36:00 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Additional Links

'Fortuna For All': Fortuna Düsseldorf confirm four free fixtures for 2024/25 season

How the Application Process Works

Connect with Alexander on LinkedIn - ⁠Here

Connected with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠Here