Every club in the top two German football divisions must have a Fanbeauftragter, a fan officer, as the supporters’ named contact. The rules have required a fan contact since 1992. The league’s handbook for fan officers marks out the role. He is the face of the club to the fans and follows the club’s instructions. But he leistet ausdrücklich keine soziale Arbeit, explicitly does no social work. That belongs to the independent fan projects, which are youth welfare bodies. Security belongs to stewards, security officers and the police. In December 2025 the league decided that Bundesliga clubs will have six fan officers instead of three.