The Swiss Football League (SFL) and the CFF have concluded an agreement for the 2024/25 season aimed at improving fan travel during football matches in collaboration with all relevant partners. Mid-season review: The measures are already being implemented in many places and are having a positive effect. Collaboration will be strengthened in 2025.
Since 2002, SBB has been operating special fan trains for away trips for Credit Suisse Super League football fans as well as, on an ad hoc basis, for dieci Challenge League matches. They allow supporters to arrive and depart in an orderly manner, relieve congestion on regular trains and separate groups of supporters from other travelers. In order to develop these fan trips and make them safer, the Swiss Football League (SFL) and the CFF have reached an agreement for the 2024/25 season. This provides for the use of trains for groups with at least 400 fans, with smaller groups organizing themselves in another way. In addition, the agreement provides for organizational support for fan travel by the SFL, clubs and football supporters as well as support by fan escorts on trains, which should make travel safer and reduce costs. material damage.
The Swiss Football League financially supports fan travel by paying an annual contribution to the SBB, which allows it to continue to offer special tickets at attractive prices for these special trains, from 29 francs, and to reduce uncovered costs of the SBB. Extensive marketing measures from the SFL and clubs make the offer more visible to fans.
Overall positive mid-term assessment after 18 rounds
The results at mid-season, after 18 rounds of the Credit Suisse Super League, are generally positive: in total, the SBB transported around 100,000 people in 180 fan trains. In this context, the intensified collaboration between the SFL, clubs, supporters and CFF has resulted in improved transport for football fans and fan travel has largely taken place in an orderly manner. The support provided by supporters’ chaperones on the trains helped improve dialogue with supporters. These people were able to contribute positively to de-escalation, in collaboration with specially trained customer assistants. Additionally, at various clubs, waste collection on trains is carried out by supporters, which allows SBB to reduce cleaning costs.
“This development shows that we did the right thing in taking these measures. However, they are not yet systematically applied everywhere and we still need to move forward hand in hand with supporters and clubs. But we have solid foundations on which to develop our collaboration,” comments Reto Liechti, head of rail production at SBB. Claudius Schäfer, CEO of the Swiss Football League, adds: “The partnership established with the SBB makes a decisive contribution to offering our supporters safe and well-organized journeys to the match venues. Together, we are laying the foundations for a sustainable solution for the future in Swiss football.”
The convention: a valuable basis for continued cooperation
This agreement underlines the common commitment of the SFL and the CFF to improve the attractiveness and safety of fan travel on public transport. Despite this positive development, cases of attacks against staff have occurred since the start of the season. They are condemned in the strongest possible terms by all parties concerned. The aim is also to reduce SBB’s uncovered costs. This requires increased cooperation and better ticket discipline on trains. In the 2023/24 season, uncovered costs amounted to 3-4 million francs, mainly due to security and preparation costs, as well as, around 10%, material damage.
In 2025, collaboration will be further intensified, particularly with clubs and fancoaching.
