Press Release: “HFC Falcon e. V.” and Fraunhofer IMW Launch Sports Crowd Funding Campaign “crowdFANding – Falcon Fever!”

Press Release | Hamburg / Leipzig /

In the run-up to the fifth anniversary celebration of “HFC Falke e. V.” today marks the starting point for the crowd funding campaign “crowdFANding - Falcon Fever!” The goal is a club site for the Hamburg soccer club “HFC Falke e. V.”. With the fourth applied crowdfunding project in the field of sports, the Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy IMW and “crowdFANding e. V.” from Jena are supporting a project that is unique in Germany to date: the soccer club “HFC Falke e. V.”, founded by disappointed fans of the Hamburger SV.

The goal of the campaign is to create a club site with its own playing field in order to allow for a regulated training and match operation. Up to now this has only been possible with great personal effort, ranging from changing training grounds without floodlights, over training on ash pitches to a lack of junior staff. This is particularly unattractive in a mass sport like soccer and hinders the development of the “HFC Falke e. V.” into a district association with the claim to fulfil its social responsibility in community work. The association not only has the goal to take part in Hamburg's soccer matches, but also to carry out youth work, to offer a place to district initiatives and neighborhood projects based on solidarity and participation.

“In past campaigns we have shown what sports fans of different sports can make possible through crowdfunding. As the Innovation Financing Unit, we are very pleased to now scientifically accompany the fourth crowdFANding project and to further develop sound instruments of active citizen participation in the field of sports,” says Dr. Robin Bürger, Head of the soccer-enthusiastic research unit Innovation Financing at Fraunhofer IMW. The current project “crowdFANding - Falcon Fever!” runs until August 10, 2019 - for further information please visit www.crowdfanding.net.

Fraunhofer IMW has been the scientific partner of “crowdFANding e. V.” for crowd funding campaigns in sports since 2015. Based on experience and the latest scientific findings on success factors in crowd funding, we support sport fans in realizing their passion projects. Accompanying surveys have also enabled us to analyze the motivation of supporters and the role of rewards and to apply this knowledge to other projects. With “crowdFANding - Falcon Fever!” as a current crowdfunding project in sports, another campaign by fans for fans is scientifically accompanied by the Innovation Financing Unit of Fraunhofer IMW.

Crowdfunding, also known as swarm financing, has developed into a proven financing alternative for (young) entrepreneurs, artists and creative people, and increasingly for real estate and sports projects since 2011. This modern form of investment is becoming increasingly popular in the popular sport of soccer. Soccer in particular, with its enthusiastic and internationally networked fan community, provides ideal conditions for successful crowdfunding campaigns.

The team of the Innovation Financing Unit supports “crowdFANding e. V.” on a long-term basis with scientific expertise in the context of crowd funding research. The financing experts support the campaign in its conception and implementation. They analyze comparable national and international campaigns and derive success factors for future crowdFANding campaigns. A central concern of the Leipzig researchers is to better understand the opportunities for co-determination through crowdfunding in sport, from donations to the impact on sports policy decision-making processes. The results of the scientific support lead to specialist publications and conference contributions. There are still few crowdfunding platforms on the German market that address sports projects, thereby enabling investments in young talent or supporting amateur clubs at regional level. Through the pilot campaign “crowdFANding - Südkurve bleibt!”, which was awarded the Audience Award of the Thuringian Innovation Prize 2016 and which was co-developed by the Innovation Financing Unit at Fraunhofer IMW, the non-profit “crowdFANding” was created, which - in close cooperation with the active soccer fan scene - exclusively supports projects of sports fans.

 

Your Contact Persons: 

Fraunhofer IMW
Neumarkt 9-19, 04109 Leipzig
Dr. rer. pol. Robin Bürger
Phone: +49 341 231039-136
robin.buerger@imw.fraunhofer.de

Communication                   
Dirk Böttner-Langolf               
Phone: +49 341 231039-250                 
dirk.boettner-langolf@imw.fraunhofer.de


The Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy IMW looks back on more than twelve years of applied socio-economic research and experience at its Leipzig location. Around 170 employees from 20 countries support customers and partners from business, industry, politics, research and society to benefit from globalization and digitization as a driver for innovation. The benefits of socio-economic and applied research for people, the dynamics of a knowledge-based society and the future of industrial production are the focus of the Institute's international projects, network activities and analyses. The interdisciplinary research team provides scientifically sound support to companies, organisations, institutions, countries, municipalities and regions in strategic decision-making processes. Originally founded as the Fraunhofer Center for Central and Eastern Europe MOEZ in 2006, the content and strategic realignment of the institute, which is certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 DNV-GL, has been reflected in the new name Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy IMW since 2016. The institute's competencies are innovation research, knowledge and technology transfer and corporate development in international competition. www.imw.fraunhofer.de/en.html