A French first. How a soccer club turned scarves into season tickets

A second-tier French soccer club is using its own merchandise as an alternative for season ticket cards in a bid to modernise its matchday experience.

Dijon FCO, the Burgundy club who most recently competed in Ligue 1 in 2020-21, introduced an initiative this summer which saw traditional season tickets incorporated into club scarves.

On Friday, social media footage showed fans entering their first home fixture of the 2026-27 season — a 1-0 defeat to Pau FC — holding scarves in front of ticket scanner and gaining entry to the 15,500-capacity Stade Gaston Gerard.

𝗟𝗲𝘀 𝗲́𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲́𝗲𝘀, 𝘂𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗲́𝗴𝗶𝗲́ 𝗱𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗱𝗲 #DFCOPAU pic.twitter.com/yi4Io7Musq

— Dijon FCO (@DFCO_Officiel) August 14, 2026

How does it work?

Dijon said upon the introduction of the initiative that near-field communication (NFC) chips would be integrated into the scarves. NFC is a short-range wireless technology which connects devices from centimetres away, and is used for contactless payments.

“This innovation is part of the club’s desire to modernize the fan experience while strengthening the visual identity of the Dijon stands,” the club said.

The initiative was launched in collaboration with Weezevent — a ticketing and events technology company of which Dijon club president Pierre-Henri Deballon is the CEO and co-founder.

Deballon said in a social media post that the scarves would serve as a “symbol of belonging and pride for fans, a ticket to get through the security checkpoints” and “a wallet for buying drinks at the concession stands and beer walls”.

On the red, club-branded scarves, the chip sits underneath a small brown embroidered patch which shows the Dijon symbol of an owl. Supporters scan the brown patch to pass through the turnstiles.

The club said entering the stadium via scarf would be the “preferred” means of entry for fans this season as it would allow “quick and easy access”.

Upon purchasing a season ticket, Dijon supporters were sent a QR code via email, which allowed them to retrieve their assigned scarves and also pair them with an online subscriber account, which is linked to cashless payments inside the stadium.

Has it been done before?

While this is a first in France, the initiative is not unique.

Bundesliga side FC Koln trialled the scarf-based entry system in 2022 for their pre-season match against AC Milan. This system also included similar pairing features, with fans able to scan the NFC chip with their phones to access extra digital content, such as pre-match video footage.

Since then, Swiss club FC St Gallen have introduced the same initiative on a permanent basis.

Technology platform ZATAP, which led the system’s integration, said St Gallen was the “first sports club to offer its season subscription in the form of a scarf”.

The system allowed supporters to collect points and badges by attending matches and other club-related activities, and said the fan with the most points at the end of that season would be rewarded with a complimentary season ticket for the following campaign.

NFC has previously been used for similar initiatives elsewhere. In 2022, a system called ‘Jersey Pay’ allowed Mexico fans to have a chip inserted in their jerseys to make contactless payments for Corona beer in the Azteca Stadium.

In the same year, Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro also introduced NFC chips in club shirts in order to purchase and access digital content.