Borussia Dortmund Football Club Notebook

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Borussia Dortmund Football Club History & Profile

Club History & Facts:

Borussia Dortmund was founded in Dortmund, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany in 1909. They were created by a group of disgruntled young men who were opposed to the strict local church. The name Borussia comes from the Latin for Prussia and they were named after the Borussia brewery in the area. Dortmund play their home games at Signal Iduna Park where there is a huge capacity of 80,720. Borussia play in yellow and black shirts and are nicknamed the yellow and blacks or ‘Die Borussen’. Dortmund are one of the most successful sides in German football history. The chairman of the club is Doctor Reinhard Rauball.

Dortmund had some serious financial difficulties early on in their history which almost lead to bankruptcy in 1929. The club was saved however by an extremely generous local supporter who put up the money to keep them in business. In the 1930′s Dortmund began to establish a heated rivalry with the most successful German side of that era Schalke FC. The bitter rivalry with Schalke exists to this very day. Dortmund won their first of 6 national titles in 1956 and followed it up with another the following year in 1957. Borussia won an impressive 3rd title in 6 years with their third national crown in 1963. One of the key men in this successful period for the club was legendary striker Friedhelm Konitezka who had a stunning record of 121 goals in 163 league appearances.

Borussia Dortmund European Performance

In 1963 Dortmund were named as one of the first 16 teams placed in to the top national league, the Bundesliga. Dortmund became the first German side to win European silverware when they claimed the 1966 Cup winners cup with a 2-1 win over English giants Liverpool. In 1972 Dortmund encountered more serious financial difficulties which lead to their relegation from the Bundesliga in 1972. Borussia eventually recovered from their financial issues and returned to the Bundesliga in 1976. Dortmund went through a lean spell where they were over shadowed by the likes of Hamburg and Bayern Munich but claimed their first trophy in 23 years with a German cup win. They beat Werder Bremen 4-1 in the final with Norbert Dickle getting a double.

Dortmund enjoyed a resurgence in the mid 1990′s in what has become known as the clubs golden era. Borussia were defeated heavily by Juventus in 1993 UEFA cup final but won their first league titles in over 30 years with titles in 1995 and 1996. in 1997 Borussia Dortmund upset the odds by winning their first ever Champions League trophy. Die Borussen exacted revenge on Juventus with a 3-1 win in the final, striker Karl Heinze Riedle scored a brace for the yellow and blacks. During that time their defender Matthais Sammer was a rock at the back and named as European player of the year on two occasions. German legend Andreas Moller was also a huge player for Borussia during that era. In 2002 Dortmund won their last league title when they went on an amazing run to overcome leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Borussia have become a mediocre side in the German top flight in the past ten years and have had the unthinkable thought of relegation at times. Dortmund have not been stable financially which has lead to them having to sell top players such as Captain Tomas Rosicky to Arsenal in 2006 and big defender Christophe Metzelder to Real Madrid in 2007. Die Borussen’s closest brush with silverware came in the 2008 German Cup final where they lost to Bayern Munich thanks to a heartbreaking strike in extra time. Dortmund finished a respectable fifth in the 2009/2010 season and under manager Jurgen Klopp they are currently in poll position to win their first league title in 9 years. Current stars at the club include the prolific striker Lucas Barrios and creative play maker Nuri Sahin.

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