Storming Dortmund

The BVB legend: this stadium can score goals

(Bild: AFP/APA/Odd ANDERSEN)

With Jürgen Klopp, Dortmund has become a global brand. BVB is a cult and a truly traditional club. A myth. But is it still "real love" or is it pure commerce? 

If there really is a "twelfth man" in the soccer world, then he definitely plays in Dortmund. The Westfalenstadion (officially called Signal Iduna Park since 2005) and its black and yellow fans can generate a force that can truly decide games and score goals. One can only hope for Sturm and his thousands of supporters traveling to the Ruhrpott that BVB, who have not always been steady of late, are really "up for" this game - because then it will be what everyone is hoping for, an experience in a class of its own.

A legendary soccer temple: the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

What the Eiffel Tower in Paris is for city tourists from all over the world, the "Yellow Wall" in Dortmund is for soccer fans from all over the world. To see, feel and hear the legendary South Stand live - this experience is on every to-do list.

The energy of the South is traditionally felt for the first time at home matches when the Dortmund players come out onto the pitch to warm up. Then the "Triumphal March" from the opera "Aida" is played and the BVB fans also make their first exclamation mark. Dortmund's popular songs such as "Heja BVB" and "You'll never walk alone" are of course also played. BVB's line-up is celebrated by stadium announcer legend Norbert "Nobby" Dickel. Dickel once played for Borussia himself and was (with two goals) the great hero of the victory in the 1989 DFB Cup final against Werder Bremen. Due to injury, "Nobby" had to end his career shortly afterwards, and since the 1992/93 season he has been the black and yellow stadium voice.

Jürgen Klopp made a lasting impression on BVB

(Bild: EPA)

Almost bankrupt in 2004 
The worldwide hype surrounding BVB is inextricably linked with the name Jürgen Klopp. The magical mixture of coaching powder keg (in office from 2008 to 2015) and stadium cauldron released energy and produced successes and images that captivated millions of children and adults and turned them into Dortmund fans. "Jürgen embodied and exemplified the identity of Borussia Dortmund himself. It was as if BVB's identity and much of Jürgen's character were one and the same," says Markus Rejek, who was Head of Marketing in Dortmund at the time. The severe financial crisis in Dortmund in 2004 and 2005, which almost drove the club to total collapse, was finally forgotten.

The slogan "Real love" (the official club slogan since 2010) fit like a glove, and since then the sale of fan paraphernalia alone has brought tens of millions of euros into the coffers. However, some long-established BVB fans are now asking themselves whether there is now far more commerce involved than "genuine love". A balancing act. After all, the cow is milked for as long as it produces milk. And there seems to be no end in sight to the enthusiasm surrounding Borussia, its stadium and its fan culture.

BVB Managing Director Hans-Joachim Watzke

(Bild: APA Pool/APA/dpa/Bernd Thissen)

Just this year, Managing Director Hans-Joachim Watzke presented a record result: total Group revenue (excluding transfers!) of EUR 509.1 million (up 21% compared to the previous year) led to a net profit after taxes of EUR 44.3 million in 2023/24. The fans are still running BVB into the ground - the stadium is always sold out in the league with 81,300 spectators. Dortmund is the club with the highest average attendance in Europe. Incidentally, the waiting list for a season ticket in the south stand was closed in 2017 - according to realistic estimates, you would have had to wait around 250 years to get your turn. So the only chance is to inherit a season ticket.