Far away from Berlin, Dortmund cherishes a wall of its own embellished in football

Far away from Berlin, Dortmund cherishes a wall of its own embellished in football

As one walks into the giant Signal Iduna Park stadium in downtown Dortmund on a match day, they are certain to be greeted by the thunderous chorus of ardent fans singing one of football’s most notable anthems – You’ll Never Walk Alone.

With an attendance of around 81,000 supporters lending their voices to the iconic song, it creates a fantastic prelude to the duel about to unfold on the pitch. The home of Borussia Dortmund is truly a sight to behold for anyone visiting one of the largest cities in Germany’s industrially rich Ruhr Valley.

The home supporters, famously known as the Yellow Wall, create an electrifying atmosphere for Borussia Dortmund to perform at its peak.

This is the largest attendance seen in any European league, serving as a testament to the passion and emotion football generates in Deutschland. To truly experience the frenzy that football can evoke, one must be part of this spectacle.

The Bundesliga prides itself on delivering unmatched excitement and drama on the field, standing tall among the ‘Big Five’ (the leading European football leagues). The intense rivalry among the 18 Bundesliga teams stems from the strong regional affiliations of their fans, which fuel fierce footballing rivalries across Germany.

“Over the last five seasons, we have had more than three goals per game, which is better than any of our rivals. The Bundesliga is full of excitement and drama. You would have seen that last year during Bayer Leverkusen’s amazing season,” said Tom Julian, International PR Manager for the Bundesliga, as he hosted a group of journalists from the Asia-Pacific region (APRC).

His words proved prophetic when Dortmund hosted the defending champion Bayer Leverkusen in a mid-season clash at Signal Iduna Park on a snowy evening with temperatures dipping below freezing.

In the lead-up to the match, groundsmen worked overtime, using special lights and heating equipment to keep the pitch fresh.

The game began with a shock for the home side as Leverkusen opened the scoring just 26 seconds into the match and doubled its lead by the eighth minute. Instead of falling silent in disbelief, the Yellow Wall grew even more vocal, urging its team to fight back. The match turned into an intense contest, with Leverkusen eventually edging out Dortmund in a thrilling 3–2 win. Regardless of the result, the fans revelled in the electric atmosphere, enjoying every moment of the spectacle.

“We are not obligated to win. We have to try hard for 90 minutes. That’s a typical Dortmund approach to enjoying football. You will see the whole range of emotions – passion, intensity, love – and that is Dortmund. Hopefully, you will agree after tonight’s game,” said Carsten Cramer, Managing Director of Borussia Dortmund. His words perfectly encapsulated the club’s philosophy, which was reflected both on the pitch and in the stands.

“Borussia Dortmund has one of the largest fanbases in the world, but even the fans understand how the club operates. It’s about bringing in young, rookie players and turning them into superstars,” Cramer said, elaborating on the club’s management ethos. “Dortmund is not the biggest city in Germany, nor is it a wealthy one, yet we compete with clubs from London, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris – big cities with big clubs. This drives us to deliver creatively every single day,” he added, stressing the challenges of being a publicly owned club run by its members.

“We will never buy or hire a superstar, but we will develop young players and take pride in seeing the likes of (Erling) Haaland playing for Manchester City. Of course, we would like to keep them for as long as possible. However, as we are not owned by the government or private investors, we must spend the euros we earn as wisely as possible. At some point, we have to transfer players,” Cramer emphasised, highlighting the importance of the club’s well-developed academy, which has produced numerous stars over the years.

The club is also looking to expand its international partnerships and has set its sights on India. “We dream of initiating a project in India. From our perspective, India is a fascinating country. People seem incredibly passionate about sports. Cricket may still be your main sport, but whenever someone represents us in India, there is immense interest and attraction. We are considering how to make it happen,” Carsten said before signing off.