Third division club Rot-Weiss Essen is gaining more and more members. The problem for the club is that not all RWE fans want to pay their membership fees.

The numbers are impressive. Third division soccer club Rot-Weiss Essen announced at its annual general meeting on Sunday that the club now has 12,817 members. This is a significant increase compared to last year.

In February 2023, there were only 9,000 members. Thanks to its successful last season in the third division, the club from Hafenstraße has gained many new supporters. In a league comparison, RWE ranks fifth in terms of membership numbers, with only Dynamo Dresden (28,039), Hansa Rostock (27,700), TSV 1860 Munich (26,500), and Arminia Bielefeld (15,147) having more club members as of August 2024.

Membership fees are an important source of income for RWE. The annual fee for adult members is €90, children aged 7 to 17 pay €30, and membership for infants aged 0 to 6 costs €19.07. However, one problem facing Rot-Weiss Essen is the unwillingness of some members to pay. The club has apparently not had the means to counteract this trend.

In an interview with this editorial team, RWE board member Alexander Rang emphasized that the club is currently trying to resolve this issue. “We are growing steadily in terms of membership, and further measures will be taken to support this positive development. But you also need to have good, reliable processes in place to collect membership fees. We have neglected this in the past, and we are now working to improve it,” said Rang.

Rot-Weiss Essen: Members can be expelled after six months

RWE took the first step on Sunday at its annual general meeting. Two motions were passed by a large majority of the members present, which will enable the club to take action against members who are unwilling to pay in future. If a member fails to pay despite two reminders and is more than six months in arrears, they will be expelled.

The statutes now stipulate that members must pay their membership fees for the following year by December 31. If a member pays half of the fee, the second half must be paid into the RWE account by June 30 of the calendar year.

Rot-Weiss Essen wants to prevent ticket sales fraud

Following an objection from a member, the club confirmed that it was not a question of excluding financially disadvantaged members. Instead, it wanted to take action against people who take advantage of the benefits of membership, such as ticket pre-sale rights, without paying their membership fees.