Regionalliga Nordost tests fewer police in the East
The Regionalliga Nordost is testing a pilot project in the East that significantly reduces police presence at high‑risk football matches, after the DFB decided on September 11 to examine possible cost contributions from amateur clubs. Ten high‑risk games have already been carried out this season.
High Police Numbers at Thuringian Derbies
Two top‑level matches took place in Thuringia: Carl Zeiss Jena versus Lok Leipzig and Jena versus Rot‑Weiß Erfurt. Both encounters were staffed with a mid‑three‑digit number of officers, according to the state police directorate. Around the Jena versus Erfurt derby in May, personnel and material costs amounted to €480,000.
The German Football Association recorded in a policy resolution on September 11 that, in the future, the costs for police deployments at high‑risk games could be passed on to the clubs. The association's executive board has thus set a central issue for the regional league clubs.
According to research by Sportschau, the pilot project has been running since the second half of last season. Tommy Haeder, managing director of Chemnitzer FC, emphasizes that several matches have been carried out with significantly less police effort. It can be seen that in the Chemnitz fixtures in 2026 about 1,000 police deployment hours per game were saved.
Average Police Deployments and Green Games
Saxony's Ministry of the Interior cites an average of 320 officers for a typical Red game and 110 for a Yellow game. In the Erfurt versus Erzgebirge Aue match on September 19, which attracted more than 13,000 spectators, only a low three‑digit number of officers were deployed. Green games, i.e., matches with virtually no police presence, were also tested as part of the project.
Armin Schuster, Saxony's interior minister, praises the project: “We want to demonstrate in Saxony that, through constructive cooperation between clubs, fans and security authorities, the required police strength at football matches can be significantly reduced.” He emphasizes that good experiences have already been made with FSV Zwickau and Chemnitzer FC and that talks with additional clubs are now being held.
The Saxon Football Association is involved in the project, while the North‑East German Football Association (NOFV) is not directly involved. Reducing police forces not only eases the deployment sites but also saves resources for other areas.
The discussion about possible cost contributions remains open, but the pilot project shows that a reduced police deployment is feasible and supported by the authorities. Further clubs are to be included in future constructive talks to minimise the burden on amateur clubs.