Schalke ranked number one in fans survey

As the fans have known all along, Schalke are the greatest club in the world. A statement that now has scientific backing. Because in the "biggest fans survey of all time" conducted by the Nürnberg-based academic Prof. Alfons Madeja and his team, Schalke finished on top of the rankings. The Royal Blues garnered top marks in the categories 'Stadium infrastructure', 'Catering' and 'Atmosphere'.

"This is recognition of the excellent work being done by everyone involved with the club", said a delighted Schalke chairman, Josef Schnusenberg, who has just returned from South America, where Chilean first division side Deportes Concepcion have decided to build a stadium based on the VELTINS Arena for completion in 2010. The Chileans are among those fascinated by a stadium Prof. Madeja says is "recognised as the best football arena in Germany".

Prof. Madeja, who lectures at the University of Bayreuth and Heilbronn University and was engaged to carry out the survey by the magazine Sportbild and the Hamburg-based company Imtech, ascertained the level of satisfaction of fans with their Bundesliga clubs based on questions in eight categories. Some 5,000 match-going supporters were contacted ahead of matches in Weeks 3 and 4. Most of those questioned were aged between 21 and 45 (57.9 %), live within a radius of 25 kilometres (49.6 %), are regular matchgoers (55 %) and male (77.6 %).

As well as finishing ahead of Bayern Munich (2nd) and VfB Stuttgart (3rd) in the overall rankings, Schalke came out on top in three of the eight categories. In the Bundesliga no one is more satisfied than the fans of the Royal Blues as regards 'Catering', 'Event character' (atmosphere and matchday entertainment) and 'Stadium'. Indeed, in the stadium category (ease of access, quality of signage, number and cleanliness of sanitary facilities) Schalke and the VELTINS Arena ran out clear winners, attracting a mark of 1.78 (on a scale of 1 to 6) to finish ahead of the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg (1.98) and the Allianz Arena in Munich (2.06).

But Schalke also performed excellently in the other categories, ranking highly in the categories 'Image', 'Merchandising', 'Club' (Schalke was also first in the subcategory 'Fans'), 'Travel' and 'Ticketing'. "Our fans have always given us unrivalled support. And with the Arena as an engine for development we as a club have been able to draw level in recent years. The results of this survey provide us with additional motivation to continue down the path we're on", said Schnusenberg.

The pleasing outcome is backed by the results of the club's own market research. The Cologne-based company Sport + Markt, for example, regularly assesses the level of satisfaction of Arena visitors. The latest survey revealed that 98 percent of spectators are satisfied or very satisfied with their visit to Schalke. Aspects such as atmosphere (96 %) and the electronic access control system (95 %) met with an exceptionally positive response.