Schalke Fan Field
Where the Schalke family comes together again
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 FanField 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 FanField.
Since 2012, fans have also had the opportunity to reserve a place for eternity among like-minded people on the Schalke Fan Field. 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 Fan Field 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, Kampfbahn Glückauf and Schalker Markt.
and then "Add to Home Screen".