Instead of Ronaldo or Mbappé, local players grace the album. FV Gemünden-Seifriedsburg and ESV Bavaria Gemünden have published their own sticker album. Pictures from the U7 to the club mascot Harry the Bear can be collected.
Instead of big stars, stickers from your own club colleagues are now exchanged
Marcel Tuchenhagen, head of public relations at ESV Bavaria Gemünden, talks about his childhood, when football stickers were hidden in Duplo or Hanuta bars and the Panini album was a must at every European Championship or World Cup. “Back then, the incentive was to buy candy to get the coveted stickers.” Today you buy the stickers directly in a package; five stickers cost one euro. It’s always been about trading and collecting the coveted player stickers. “Now our children and we can collect and exchange ourselves,” says Tuchenhagen happily.
But how did the clubs even come up with the idea? Thorsten Legedza, Sports Director, received an email at the end of 2022 from a person who sells sticker albums. Shelved for the time being, the idea came back on the table during 2023. And so you can now exchange the stickers of your club colleagues in Gemünden.
The album didn’t cost the clubs any money, but it did involve a lot of work
There were no costs for the clubs, says Tuchenhagen. However, the club has put a lot of work into the organization. Above all, photographing everyone was a challenge.
“We worked with the photographer Alexandra Weikert-Maisel from the region,” reports Tuchenhagen. A big photo day took place on the ESV grounds, where team photos and individual portraits were taken – of around 240 people.
Thanks to the collaboration with the local photographer, those who were unable to attend were able to be photographed later on that day, which was a great advantage, according to the board. “Even our mascot Harry the Bear is there,” says Tuchenhagen with a wink. In addition to the player portraits, the album also contains pages that depict chronicles and highlights of the club’s history.
Enthusiastic rush at the start of sales
On October 20th the time had come: the start of sales on the premises of the ESV Bavaria Gemünden attracted around 500 people. “The response was overwhelming,” says Tuchenhagen. 160 albums and more than 15,000 stickers were sold directly – a complete success.
The Munich-based company “Stickerfive” takes over printing and distribution and also paid the photographer. You can buy the album and the stickers in a pack of five at Netto in Gemünden. 225 albums have initially been printed; Repeat orders are also made via Netto and “Stickerfive”. “We don’t have to worry about that,” says Tuchenhagen happily.
Community and “we-feeling” are the focus
“For us, it’s not about financial gain,” emphasizes Tuchenhagen. “Ten percent of sales go to the club, but the project is primarily intended to strengthen the ‘we feeling’.” At the next game on October 27th there will be a swap meet in Seifriedsburg. “Children, parents and grandparents enthusiastically exchange stickers – it’s cross-generational.”
A nice side effect: collecting works without a smartphone. “In a digitalized world, it’s nice when children do something analog,” says Tuchenhagen. The album is already connecting the club members and creating a completely new connection between the players.
The effort behind the project was enormous, which is why it should not be repeated every year. “If we do this every year, it loses its appeal,” explains Tuchenhagen. “We’ll now see how the album is received. It was important for us to create something special for the club.”
