Hamburg SV's lifetime devoted football fans never have to worry about missing a single game--even in the afterlife. The club has just opened a fan cemetery just next to the stadium that can hold around 500 graves.
For many local Hamburg men, the excitement of the team season and the loud cheering crowds has become a major part of their lives over the decades. They take comfort in the fact that that they will always be a part of the club, even after they die. One spokesman for the team said the club received many requests from people hoping their ashes could be spread under the goal post, or mixed into the field. Since they could not say yes, the idea of a sacred cemetery arose.
Although they claim to be the first soccer club cemetery in Europe, they are second in the world to the Boca Juniors Club Cemetery in Argentina. Earlier this year, Trendhunter told you about a Chicago Cubs cemetery in Illinois for die-hard (no pun intended) baseball fans. I hope their wives don't mind.
Sports Fan Cemeteries
The Hamburg SV Cemetery
Trend Themes
1. Sports Fan Cemeteries - Sport organizations can innovate by offering fan cemeteries that connects devoted fans to their favorite sports team even after their death.
2. Personalized Funeral Services - Funeral service providers can innovate by offering personalized funeral services that reflect individuals’ interests in life, such as sports teams.
3. Memorial Tourism - The rise of sport fan cemeteries creates opportunities for memorial tourism where sports fans can travel and visit burial sites of their favorite sports teams’ biggest supporters.
Industry Implications
1. Sports Clubs - Sports clubs can expand their offerings by providing cemetery plots or gravesites near the stadium, enabling fans to take their loyalty beyond just supporting the team
2. Funeral Services - Funeral service providers can capitalize on the opportunity by offering customized fan cemeteries as part of their range of products and services, facilitating loyal fans to be remembered in a unique way
3. Travel and Hospitality - Sports fan cemeteries can create a new niche for tourism, giving fans an enthralling experience to visit burial grounds of die-hard supporters and bringing opportunities for hotels and restaurants to serve the visiting fans.