Who are yer? Borussia Dortmund

The biggest club in Germany. Yes, of course, those chaps from Munich may technically have won more Bundesligas. And more European Cups. and more DFB Pokal Cups.

But on the chart of who have the most fans at its games, Dortmund are winners. When you get 80 odd thousand a week you can bag that title of being biggest, no problem.




And Dortmund have had success too, earning a coveted star on the yellow jersey.  There's a clutch of German league titles (seven, the latest in 2011) and a couple of domestic cups, They were also the first German side to win a European trophy (Cup Winners' Cup in 1966) and famously scooped the Champions League in 1997 from under the noses of a Zidane-led Juventus in 1997.

But periods of glory have been interspersed with periods of less than spectacular success. They have the inglorious record of being on the receiving end of the worst even Bundesliga loss, 12-0 at Borussia Monchengladbach in 1978. And there have been many barren years without even a glimpse of silverware.

In 2010-11 it all came good. Under manager Jurgen Klopp, the side of youngsters stormed to the top and were well clear of the chasing pack by the winter break.

Where do you come from? Signal Iduna Park (Westfalenstadion)

The stadium is class. It's up there with the biggest and best, and most yellow, you'll ever see on your football travels so mark it down as one to attend.






Viewed from the outside - and it's easily spotted from the railway line that runs right past it -  it doesn't quite seem to be big enough to hold 80,552 people. That, in case you didn't know your football stadium capacity stats, is second only in size in Europe to the Nou Camp.

But it's a bit of a Tardis (without Dr Who or a lovely assistant) in that once you get inside it you see how massive it really is. Think Wembley  for the feeling of size and magnitude. Think Watford times four for the colour.




Even the view from the tiers further back is good. We were in Block 74 of the Nordtribune, second block from the back with seats the wrong side of the corner flag, and it was still a cracking view.

The great thing about sitting in the Nordtribune is you get a spectacular view of one of THE sights in football - the Yellow Wall. The famous Sudkurve on a matchday is a stunning sight. It's a sea of yellow as 30,000 pack on to the biggest terrace in Europe. It stretches back steeply from pitchside to a back that's barely visible from the other end - and when it makes a noise, it makes a noise and a half. Sometimes the fans even pull a big flag right across it. That's one big flag.

Visiting fans are housed on a terrace in one corner of the Nordtribune, although on big games don't be surprised if you find away fans scattered around that end. There's no hassle. Other than that it's seating on both sides and the rest of the north end, and the corners are seated too. There are scoreboards in opposing corners.




Get in early for a rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone. That's not unusual in German football, you'll get it most places - but never from almost twice as many fans as you do at Anfield.

Right next to the stadium is.. another stadium, the Stadion Rote Erde, home to Dortmund's second side.



We're on our way: Getting to the ground


There's two ways to get to the stadium - also known as the Westfalenstadion before the sponsor took over - by train or underground.

The train is a good option, and quicker, just one stop and less than ten minutes from Dortmund Hauptbahnhof.  They're pretty regular on any day and there are of course significantly more of them on matchday. And the stop is called Signal Iduna Park with a huge gleaming stadium next to it so it shouldn't be a problem to spot, no matter how many lunchtime beers you've had.




It is also on a direct route from the Hauptbahnhof on the U-Bahn. Get off at Westfalenhallen/ Stadion stop, a little over a ten minute ride. Your match ticket will cover your journey to and from the stadium.

Either way you will arrive at the stadium's eastern side. The railway cuts by the southern side, the U-bahn more towards the northern end.

Do bear in mind that although you are close you may need to walk around to the other side and that includes walking around the Stadion Rote Erde too so leave a bit of time.

Also, queues at turnstiles close to kick off are pretty heavy and fairly chaotic. In fact they're not queues, just a big mass of people trying to get through a few gates. So i'd be thinking of arriving a good hour and thirty before kick off - and two or three isn't bad with the options outside (see below). Make sure you head through the turnstiles up to an hour before kick off.

Grab a seat: Buying a ticket

When Dortmund are doing well, games sell out way before matchday so you must buy in advance. Sign up to the website and you have a chance to bag tickets that do go on sale up to a month before the game, mainly in the Nordtribune.  Log on to www.bvb.de, and go to the ticketing section. It's all in German but it's not rocket science with the help of the good old 'google translate' website.

Snap them up early because they do go fast. It's not the cheapest of grounds - the ones on sale usually pitch in around the 40 euro mark.

Tickets aren't posted abroad so can be picked up outside on the day. The collection both for the north stand is a kiosk around 50 yards from the fan shop towards the northern turnstiles.

If they're all gone, it's worth trying the ticket site viagogo as there's quite a few on there. I've used viagogo before and its a reliable way of picking up tickets if you can live with paying a bit over the odds.

Who ate all the pies: Eating and drinking

If you've got 80,000 people wandering up each week there's no huge surprise that there's a stall or two to eat from. Straight  up from the railways station there's a bar and barbecue on the go, so that gets a big thumbs up. Head a bit further and on the route up to the Sudtribune it's more like a German Christmas market. Take your pick of the foods on offer and there's a few beers, and in winter, wine, to take your fancy.




Likewise at the northern end you're not short of options and there's a beer garden too.

Inside all the main concourses are well stocked. The upside is that the beers are bigger than usual, over a pint in suitably yellow Dortmund plastic glasses. The downside is that a modest round of two pints (plus a 1.50 deposit per glass) will set you back more than ten euros (in 2010/11).

As in other grounds there's a fan card system so you need to queue up and buy one first. When you want to get a deposit back on your glasses you have to take them back to the card sellers and hand them in there. If you take them back to the bar the beer seller will do lots of pointing, and it's all a bit confusing. I know, it happened to me.

On tour, grab a souvenir: Tours and stores

The official shop slap bang next to the stadium is more of a tour of BVB merchandise. You're taken on a one-way stroll through every type of yellow and black gear you could possibly imagine, plus more. Maybe it's the Watford fan in me but it is a great kit.

It includes a stride past a giant picture of the famous Yellow Wall terrace - complete with sound effects of course.



Be warned, for a club the size of BVB a total of six cashiers on the tills at the end is on the modest side of not that good.

If matchdays is too chaotic, or frankly you were held up at the bar, then don't fear. There's another official shop in Marktplatz in the centre of Dortmund and a big section dedicated to the boys in yellow in the also centrally located Karstadt Sports department store (both closed Sundays).


Time, and a few drinks or more, prevented a visit to the Borusseum, or the Borrusia museum if you hadn't quite guessed.



From a quick viewing on telly, and on the website, It all looks pretty good, if largely German, of course. It's right next to the fan shop at the north end of the ground. It's open 10am to 6pm daily, and up to kick off on matchdays. Tickets are six euros. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit  www.borusseum.de