01Special Moments 02OMG 03Good to Know 04Lovers 05Haters 06Key Figures 07Wise Words 08Tragic 09Fun Facts 10Personae 11Profile APrologue
Chapter 02

Profile

Facts, figures and milestones

Akte BVB — Profile
Akte BVB · Borussia Dortmund

Profile

Facts, figures and milestones

8 Min. Read Updated: March 2026
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Profile – Facts, figures and milestones

Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e.V. Dortmund (Borussia Dortmund, BVB) is one of the most successful football clubs in Germany. Through the end of 2019, the club won eight German championships (most recently 2012) and four DFB-Pokals. Their last domestic cup triumph dates from 2017 (as of December 2019).

BVB became the first German European cup winner in 1966 and occupy second place in the Bundesliga all-time table by actual points won (as of December 2019). Since the 1976/77 season, Borussia Dortmund have played uninterrupted in the Bundesliga and have reached four further European finals since 1993, most recently in 2013.

The name "Borussia" derives from the old Latin word for Prussia. The Signal Iduna Park (Westfalenstadion), with a capacity of 81,360, is Germany's largest football-only stadium. The Südtribüne, accommodating 25,000 standing spectators, is Europe's largest terrace. For Champions League matches, the capacity is reduced to 66,000 (all-seater requirement).

With 155,244 members (as of December 1, 2018), Borussia Dortmund are Germany's third-largest sports club and the fifth-largest worldwide. Since November 1999, the first-team squad, reserve team and U19s have been outsourced into Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien — a listed partnership limited by shares.

BVB German Championship 1956 – Borussia Dortmund first title celebration
Changing of the guard in the Ruhr: Borussia Dortmund celebrate their first German championship in 1956. Photo: Imago Images/ Horstmüller

Fan friendships

Borussia Dortmund's fans, organised in more than 850 official fan clubs (as of November 2019), have maintained friendships since the 1970s with Rot-Weiß Essen, since the first UEFA Cup encounter in 1987 with Celtic Glasgow, and since 1976 with Hamburger SV. Looser friendships have existed since the 1990s with SC Freiburg.

The greatest fan rivalry exists with FC Schalke 04 supporters. This animosity reaches its linguistic peak in the substitution of the rival's name with "Lüdenscheid-Nord" (for Dortmund) and "Herne-West" (for Schalke). Bayern München and VfL Bochum are also traditionally despised by the Dortmund faithful, and more recently RB Leipzig.

The club song "Wir halten fest und treu zusammen" is played less frequently at home matches. The official stadium anthem is "You'll Never Walk Alone." The fact that this anthem, introduced to football by Liverpool FC, was sung jointly before the clubs' first Europa League meeting in April 2016 brought BVB fans to tears worldwide.

For the 100th anniversary on December 19, 2009, the "Walk of Fame" was unveiled. The walkway tells the club history through 100 stars distributed across the city, spanning from the first official match (1911) through the first Westdeutsche Meisterschaft (1948), the back-to-back championships of 1956 and 1957, to the centenary celebration.

Membership Explosion Since 2020

BVB's membership has grown dramatically since 2020, surpassing 200,000 members and making Dortmund one of the world's largest football clubs by membership. The growth reflects both the Klopp legacy and the club's deliberate fan engagement strategy.

The BVB Share: Catastrophic Performance

As the only listed Bundesliga club, BVB's share price tells a sobering story. From the 11-euro IPO in 2000 to approximately 3 euros in 2026, the stock has destroyed shareholder value despite record revenues. The disconnect between sporting success and share performance frustrates investors.

Steckbrief at other clubs
FC BayernVon der Lokalgröße zum Weltverein↗ aktebayern.comSchalke 04Vier Minuten Deutscher Meister↗ aktekoenigsblau.comBayer LeverkusenMeister, Titel? Aw, Man!↗ aktebayer.com

KGaA: The Special Legal Structure

Borussia Dortmund operates as a KGaA (Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien) — a partnership limited by shares. This structure, unique among major German football clubs, allows the club to access capital markets while maintaining a degree of control through the parent association.

Management Structure 2026

As of 2026, Borussia Dortmund's management comprises

Hans-Joachim Watzke (President), Lars Ricken (CEO Sport), and Sebastian Kehl (Sporting Director). Head coach Niko Kovac succeeded Nuri Sahin in January 2025. The KGaA structure — Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien — makes BVB unique among major German football clubs, combining stock market access with association control.

More from the BVB dossier
Chapter 03: Good to KnowHintergrund und Kontext zu den ZahlenChapter 00: PrologWarum dieses Dossier existiert

The BVB Share: From 11 to 3 Euros

Borussia Dortmund remains the only Bundesliga club listed on the stock exchange. The share debuted at 11 euros in October 2000 and trades at approximately 3 euros in March 2026 — a catastrophic long-term return that has tested even the most patient investors. The near-insolvency of 2005 saw the share touch 1 euro. Despite record revenues exceeding half a billion euros, the share price stubbornly refuses to reflect the club's commercial success.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Borussia Dortmund founded?

Borussia Dortmund were founded on December 19, 1909 in Dortmund, Germany.

Steckbrief at other clubs
Eintracht FrankfurtFC Hollywood vom Main↗ akteeintracht.comWerder Bremen93 Gegentore!↗ aktewerder.comTSG HoffenheimTransfer-Gigant vom Dorf↗ aktehoffe.com

How many Bundesliga titles has BVB won?

Borussia Dortmund have won eight German championships (1956, 1957, 1963, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2011, 2012).

How big is Signal Iduna Park?

Signal Iduna Park holds 81,365 spectators, making it the largest football stadium in Germany. The Südtribüne (Yellow Wall) holds 25,000 standing fans.

Keywords
BVB Club Profile Borussia Dortmund Stats Signal Iduna Park BVB Members BVB Bundesliga Record Dortmund Stadium BVB Intelligence BVB Predictions
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