Schalke FanFeld

Where the Schalke family comes together again

The slogan "Schalke, we live you" is more than just lip service for many Schalke fans. They breathe Schalke every second of their lives. Since 2012, the Schalke FanFeld ("Schalke Fan Field") has given them the opportunity to stay connected to the club even after their last breath.

A stadium for eternity

The Schalker FanFeld is laid out like a football stadium. There are even two real goals in the centre of the communal burial ground. The burial ground is laid out as an ornamental garden. But the arena is not far away either. On match days, the chants from the stands on the FanFeld can be clearly heard.

Source: Olivier Kruschinski

Ein Beet aus blauen und weißen Blumen, die das Wappen des FC Schalke 04 formen. Davor liegt ein Gedenkstein, der an die Menschen erinnert, die 1904 den Verein gründeten.

At the centre

The centrepiece of the burial ground is a huge FC Schalke 04 logo consisting of blue and white flowers. People who have rendered outstanding services to the club are given a place next to the crest. Here, for example, there is a stone for the boys who founded the club in 1904.

Source: Olivier Kruschinski

350 people have come to Beckhausen-Sutum cemetery on this gray, damp December day. They are members of the Schalke family, and they are here to say goodbye to one of their own between the years. Cult fan Erich has passed away at the age of 68. Erich, who spent every penny and every euro for 30 years to watch Schalke play. No matter where. Often with the help of other Schalke fans who helped him out with a euro or a beer. Today they are standing at Erich's grave with a beer. Even the priest has a cup in his hand. He knows that the clocks tick a little differently at this burial ground than at other cemeteries. The Schalke FanFeld is the final resting place of those who lived and breathed Schalke every minute of their lives. People like Erich. Club legends such as Olaf Thon and Mike Büskens also attended his funeral. Schalke connects. Now Erich rests just a few hundred meters from the arena. On match days, the wind carries the fan chants over to the Schalke FanFeld.

Since 2012, fans have also had the opportunity to reserve a place for eternity among like-minded people on the Schalke FanFeld. A total of 1,904 fans can be buried here. The burial ground is modeled on a soccer stadium, with a pitch with goals in the middle. But it's not just fans, former players also find their final resting place here. Stan Libuda was reburied on January 15, 2022. Adolf Urban's mortal remains were transferred from Russia to Gelsenkirchen in 2013 and laid to rest here. The Schalker FanFeld reflects a little of the old Schalke in Urban's active days, when fans and players lived side by side as neighbors, friends and relatives between Grenzstraße, Glückauf Stadium and Schalke Market.