Dynamo Dresden tighten stadium rules for influencers and vloggers
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Dynamo Dresden now require approval for monetised influencer content.
- Private fan photos and videos remain permitted at the stadium.
- The club say they will work with security staff to enforce the rules.
The changes affect the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, where Dynamo play their home fixtures, and specifically target content created with a commercial or monetisation purpose.
Importantly, the club have not introduced a general ban on influencers or smartphones. Ordinary supporters can still take private photographs and videos during their visit.
The distinction is the purpose and nature of the content.
Under the updated rules, content created for monetisation or with the characteristics and reach of influencer marketing requires explicit prior approval from the club.
Dynamo's official stadium information confirms that visitors are required to comply with both the stadium regulations and the Haus- und Benutzungsordnung when attending matches.
What has changed at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion?
The stadium's existing rules already restricted commercial photography, audio and video recordings without prior permission from the Stadion Dresden Projektgesellschaft (SDPG) or the relevant event organiser.The provision has now been expanded specifically for Dynamo matches.
The updated wording covers the creation of content with a comparable reach or monetisation purpose, including activity by influencers, content creators, vloggers and streamers.
It also extends to the carrying and use of equipment primarily intended for those purposes.
In practical terms, someone attending a Dynamo match with a smartphone to capture a few personal memories is not the target of the new rule.
A creator who arrives with the intention of filming substantial matchday content for a monetised YouTube channel, social-media account or other commercial platform, however, will need the club's permission beforehand.
Why are Dynamo Dresden introducing the restrictions?
The issue has been discussed by Dynamo and their supporters for some time.According to the club, content creators have previously filmed extensively around the stadium and during matches before publishing the resulting material online and generating revenue from it.
The club's position is that such activity can conflict with existing media-rights arrangements.
Dynamo have said that the broadcasting rights for their home matches are contractually held by the television partners of the 2. Bundesliga. The club therefore consider monetised publications based on match footage to be incompatible with those rights arrangements.
The wider objective is also about the matchday experience.
Dynamo want supporters to focus more closely on the action and on supporting the team rather than having parts of the crowd constantly filming.
That makes the new provision about more than simply putting another restriction on smartphone use. It is also an attempt to draw a clearer line between private fan activity and commercial content production.
The Ben Paul incident brought the issue into focus
The debate also came into the spotlight following an incident involving German football YouTuber Ben Paul, better known online as NoHandGaming.Paul attended Dynamo's home match against Preußen Münster in March 2026 and intended to create content at the stadium. According to TAG24, citing Paul's account, he said he was threatened by supporters and ultimately left the stadium.
The incident attracted considerable attention because Paul's YouTube channel has an audience of more than 500,000 subscribers.
However, Dynamo have made clear that the incident was not the reason for the new rules.
The club say the issue had already been under discussion for a considerable period, including meetings with supporters.
That distinction is important. The new regulation should not be presented as a direct response to the confrontation involving Paul, but rather as the latest step in a longer discussion about content creators and media rights at football matches.
No ban on private smartphone use
For ordinary supporters, there is little reason to change their normal matchday behaviour.Fans can continue taking personal photographs and videos on their phones, provided those activities do not fall within the restrictions established by the stadium rules.
That means a supporter recording a goal celebration, taking a photograph with friends or filming a short personal memory is fundamentally different from a creator producing regular monetised content for a large online audience.
The dividing line is therefore not simply whether someone is holding a camera.
It is the purpose, scale and commercial nature of the recording.
This distinction is particularly relevant in the modern football environment, where almost every spectator carries a high-quality camera in their pocket.
Dynamo plan to enforce the rules
The club are not simply adding the provision to the regulations and leaving it there.Dynamo say they are in contact with their stadium security and matchday operations teams to discuss implementation and potential staff training.
The objective is to make personnel more aware of the issue and ensure that the new rules can be applied consistently on matchdays.
Dynamo have also indicated that they reserve the right to take legal action if an influencer or content creator refuses to comply with the requirements.
The stadium's existing framework already gives authorised personnel the ability to enforce the house rules, and Dynamo's official information tells ticket holders that they accept the relevant stadium regulations when entering the ground.
A growing issue for football clubs
Dynamo's decision highlights a wider problem facing football clubs in the social-media era.Traditional broadcasters pay substantial sums for the rights to show matches, whilst platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram have created a new generation of independent publishers who can potentially reach hundreds of thousands of viewers.
For clubs, the challenge is deciding where to draw the line.
A fan filming a few seconds on a mobile phone is part of the modern matchday experience. A creator producing an entire monetised matchday programme inside the stadium is a different proposition.
Dynamo's revised rules attempt to establish that distinction explicitly.
The modern stadium is simultaneously a sporting venue, a media environment and a social-media backdrop. Clubs must protect their commercial and broadcasting rights without unnecessarily restricting ordinary supporters.
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