Welcome to the Dortmund London Fan Club community podcast, join us for a fan led journey to the heart of the ‘die Südtribüne‘, BVB‘s Yellow Wall, the South Terrace of 26,000 fans behind the goal, one of the world‘s biggest single stands and greatest football fan experiences. On each of the shows, we meet guests from BVB past and present, coaches, players, writers and fans, our aim is to bring the world of Borussia Dortmund to English-speaking audiences with insight, commitment and ’Echte Liebe’. Amongst our guests so far we have had TV Presenter Rapha Honigstein, former coach Bert van Marwijk, former players like Philipp Degen, Knut Reinhardt, Niclas Jensen, Bernd Klotz, Andre Bergdolmo, Sunday Oliseh, Christoph Zimmerman, Steffen Karl and Mayor of Dortmund Ulli Sierrau as well as England legend Tony Woodcock and Celtic supporters clubs president Joe O’Rourke. Please note we are not the official podcast of Borussia Dortmund, we are a podcast run by fans of the club and are not affiliated in any way to the football club in Dortmund. The official Borussia Dortmund podcast can be found at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/borussia-dortmund-podcast/id1503379263 If you would like more information on joining our 100% unofficial fan club of BVB in London, go to: Facebook.com/Borussiadortmundfanclubengland Thank you for checking out our show, please subscribe and share with your friends.
Episodes
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Thank you for your interest in the BVB London fan community podcast. Each episode of the show is about discovering a facet of Borussia Dortmund's life in conversation with experts and former participants in club life such as players, fans, coaches or even journalists who have influenced this club in its development.
Our guest today is Jan-Christian Müller. known as Jan to friends and colleagues, he is the sports editor of the Frankfurter Rundschau, a leading broadsheet newspaper.
Jan looks back on a career of more than 30 years in football reporting and is himself a former academy player and fan of 4-time Deutsche Meister Werder Bremen. Jan also worked and lived in London and regularly attended games at White Hart Lane, so who better to help preview the game ahead?
The Champions League kicks off this week with Borussia Dortmund v LOSC Lille on Tuesday, 8pm UK time.
1. A look at Jan-Christian's career as an U19 with Werder Bremen, a season in England, and life as a sports writer.
2. A Focus on the game ahead against 2021 Ligue 1 champions LOSC Lille, how good are the French side and what can BVB expect?
3. A look at recent developments at Borussia Dortmund how is Niko Kovac fairing?
4. How are the board room battles affecting the club and what are the prospects for season?
5. Which players have the best prospects ahead and where are BVB light?
6. Bayer v Bayern a German-German tie like the UCL final of 2013, what do fans in Germany see the game?
7. A look at the other ties in the Champions League including Real Madrid v Atletico and Benfica v Barcelona, how is Hansi Flick doing, can Barca win the Iberian battle?
8. Jan Christian's experiences of Westfalenstadion and BVB games including the 1989 Pokalfinal.
09. A tribute to Teddy De Beer.
10. Which teams will make it to Munich?
11. Social media.
We hope you enjoy the show. Send us your comments, share the show with friends and don't forget to like it. If you want to contact the fan club, you can do so via the website borussiadortmundlondon.co.uk or in the online group at Facebook.com/borussiadortmundfanclubengland .
All rights reserved Borussia Dortmund Fan Club 2025.
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Vielen Dank für das Interesse am BVB London Fan-Community-Podcast. In jeder Episode geht es uns in der Sendung darum, eine Facette des Lebens von Borussia Dortmund im Gespräch mit Experten und ehemaligen Teilnehmern des Vereinslebens wie Spielern, Fans, Trainer oder auch Journalisten, die diesen Verein in seiner Entwicklung beeinflusst haben, in der Podcast zu entdecken.
Unser Gast ist heute: Carsten Ramelow, der ehemaliger Mittelfeldspieler spielte bei Hertha Berlin und Bayer Leverkusen und machte dabei 413 Spiele und machte dabei 28 Tote.
Der in Berlin geborene ehemalige Spieler absolvierte 46 Einsätze und schoss dabei 3 Tore im Kader der deutschen Nationalmannschaft.
Der aus der Akademie von Hertha BSC Berlin stammende Spieler wurde mit Leverkusen viermal Vizemeister. 2002 erreichte Ramelow mit der Leverkusener Mannschaft das Finale der Champions League in Glasgow, das aber knapp gegen Real Madrid mit 1:2 verloren ging. Ramelow erreichte als erste Amateurmannschaft mit Hertha Berlin II das Endspiel des DFB-Pokals 1993.
Mit der Nationalmannschaft wurde er bei der WM Japan/Korea 2002 Vize-Weltmeister.
Carsten Ramelow ist ein Niko Kovač Kenner, er spielte mit dem Deutsch-Kroaten zwischen 1991 und 94 bei Hertha Berlin und später bei Bayer Leverkusen zwischen 1996 und 99. Zwischen 1997 und 2001 war der ehemalige Verteidiger auch Mitspieler des aktuellen BVB-Co-Trainers Robert Kovač.
1. Kindheit in Berlin, erste Schritte Richtung Profifußball mit Hertha Berlin II, Pokalfinale 1993 gegen Bayer Leverkusen.
2. Wechsel zu Bayer 04 Leverkusen, die Vizemeistertitel 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, Mitstreiter Bernd Schuster, Rudi Völler, Andreas Thom, Ulf Kirsten, Michael Ballack, Dimitar Berbatov, Daniel Bierofka, Gonzalo Castro.
3. Champions League Kampagne und ein Finale im Hampden Park Glasgow.
4. WM 2002 in Korea/Japan bis zum Endspiel, Erlebnisse und Einsichten.
5. Fokus auf Niko Kovač als Spieler, war sein Aufstieg vorauszusehen?
6. Die Trainer-Karriere von Nico, was bringt er dem BVB?
7. Die Partnerschaft mit Robert und was Robert Bayer Leverkusen als Spieler brachte.
8. Eindrücke vom Westfalenstadion, Fokus auf die aktuelle Lage beim BVB, wie weit kommen Black and Yellows unter dem neuen Trainer?
09. Ansichten über das Englische Fussball und Erfahrungen gegen Premier League Teams.
10. Soziale Medien.
Wir hoffen, dass Euch die Show gefällt. Schickt uns Eure Kommentare, teilt die Show mit Freunden und vergesst nicht zu liken. Wenn Ihr den Fanklub kontaktieren wollt, geht das über Facebook.com/borussiadortmundfanclubengland.
Copyright Dortmund Fan Club London 2025.
Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Thank you for your interest in the BVB London fan community podcast. Each episode of the show is about discovering a facet of Borussia Dortmund's life in conversation with experts and former participants in club life such as players, fans, coaches or even journalists who have influenced this club in its development.
Our guest today is Ibrahim Tanko. Ibrahim is the coach of the Ghana U23s and in his own right a former striker who gained 7 national caps and played for BVB from 1994-00 and SC Freiburg from 2001-7.
Ibrahim between 2010-2012 was assistant manager of Urawa Red Diamonds, in season 2012-2013 he became assistant manager at 1. FC Cologne. Between 2013-2015 he was assistant manager of the Cameroon national team.
The focus of the show is the FIFA World Cup qualifying draw which took place on Friday.
England, under new head coach Thomas Tuchel (BVB 15-17), will face Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra.
Dependent of the outcome of the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal v Italy, Germany will join Northern Ireland, Slovakia, and Luxembourg or group I.
Wales will meet Belgium, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein.
Scotland will play Greece, Belarus and the loser of the Portugal v Denmark Nations League quarter-final. The remaining groups of the UEFA association are:
Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo.
Group D: France/Croatia (winner), Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan.
Group E: Spain/Netherlands (winner), Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria.
Group F: Portugal/Denmark (winner), Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Armenia.
Group G: Spain/Netherlands (loser), Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta.
Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino.
Group I: Germany/Italy (loser), Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova.
Group L: France/Croatia (loser), Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar.
Ibrahim Tanko's Ghana will play against Mali, Comoros, and Madagascar.
The qualifying games will be played across five international breaks between March and November 2025.
Those international breaks are 21-25 March, 6-10 June, 4-9 September, 9-14 October and 13-18 November.
The top team from each of the 12 groups will qualify automatically for the World Cup, which will be held in the US, Canada and Mexico.
The sixteen host cities are Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Guadalajara, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Monterrey, Mexico City, Toronto, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Miami.
The second-placed teams go into play-offs. A total of 16 European teams will qualify.
The World Cup will start on 11 June 2026 in Mexico City and end on 19 July at the 82,500 capacity Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford New Jersey.
The expanded 48-team tournament will last a record 39 days.
The new format will feature 12 four-team groups and a last-32 knockout round for the first time.
1. Introduction to our guest Ibrahim Tanko, and co-host Rimmel Daniel (5-times Grenada international defender, formerly of Gillingham, Grays Athletic).
2. A look at the new tournament format and venues and the three hosting nations.
4. A focus on the home nations of UK, Germany qualifying groups, who are the toughest opponents and those most likely to qualify?
5.A look at the 2030 World Cup in Portugal, Spain, Morocco and announcement of the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia which was uncontested.
6. A look Ibrahim's work with Otto Addo and the Ghana football federation and U23 team and Ghana's Afcon exit and World Cup qualifying ahead. What is the Otto Addo factor?
7. Ibrahim's memories of Westfalenstadion between 1994-2001 including team mates and match highlights.
8. SC Freiburg experiences and current situation including new stadium.
09. Views on BVB now under Nuri Sahin, how do they look? How far can they go? What areas need to improve?
10. Is BVB, Bundesliga popular in Africa and Ghana? A look at the BVB legends games Ibrahim played in including in Ghana this year.
11. A look at the 50th anniversary which is on Sunday this week, the 22 December, of the first black player for Germany Erwin Kostedde and what the former BVB striker's legacy remains for the Bundesliga.
12. Social media
Correction: The 19 December is of course the 115th birthday of BVB - happy birthday Borussia!
We hope you enjoy the show. Send us your comments, share the show with friends and don't forget to like it. If you want to contact the fan club, you can do so via the website borussiadortmundlondon.co.uk or in the online group at Facebook.com/borussiadortmundfanclubengland .
All rights reserved Borussia Dortmund Fan Club 2024.
Sunday Aug 18, 2024
Sunday Aug 18, 2024
Thank you for your interest in the BVB London Fan Community Podcast. Each episode of the show is about discovering a facet of Borussia Dortmund's life in conversation with experts and former participants in club life such as players, fans, coaches or even journalists who have influenced this club in its development.
Our guest today on a 24/25 Bundesliga season preview show is:
Dennis Kutrieb, the coach of Viktoria Berlin (two-time German champions), a former Dynamo Berlin and Rot-Weiss Oberhausen defender and a big BVB fan.
The Bundesliga season kicks off on Friday 23 August, 1930 CET, with the Rheinderby between Borussia Moenchengladbach v Deutsche Meister Bayer Leverkusen. BVB take on Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday in an 1830 kick off on Saturday.
Newboys in the league for the first time ever are Holstein Kiel, who won the German title in 1912, and FC St Pauli who are back after being relegated in 2011.
BVB are now under the management of former midfielder Nuri Sahin. Who grew up 41 km from the Westfalenstadion and has been part of the club since his early teens.
Following on from our transfers special show on episode 72, we now looked at the rest of the Bundesliga.
Our guest is Dennis Kutrieb the manager of Regionalliga-Nord-Ost team Viktoria Berlin, the former manager of Ebbsfleet United is himself a former striker with Rot-Weiss Oberhausen in the 2. Bundesliga and BFC Dynamo Berlin.
1. Will this be another bumper crop for Xaby Alonso's outstanding Bayer 04 Leverkusen?
2. The league love them, we love them but Can Union Berlin survive another season in the top?
3. Christian Stretch is gone after two decades at the helm, will the SC Freiburg era of success continue under former assistant manager and player Julian Schuster?
4. No Revierderby but the Ruhr derby will VfL Bochum survive another season?
5. Can Vincent Kompany transform Bayern Munich? Its a huge ask even for the Premier League legend.
6. How will VfB Stuttgart manage the Champions League challenge?
7. Will Eintracht Frankfurt have invested heavily how far can they go?
8. Naby Keita is back after his long suspension will his Werder have a season to remember or will it be another relegation dog fight?
09. New coach Nuri Sahin, and assistant Lukasz Piszczek, have put a smile on our faces, only one loss in pre-season, the first step in the cup is taken, can BVB go one better?
10. Heidenheim rose from the 2. Bundesliga and against all odds are in the the UEFA Conference League, how well can Franck Schmidt's side handle the pressure?
11. Hoffenheim are back in Europe, €28m have been invested, what can US coach Pelegrino Materazzo achieve with the TSG?
12. Jess Thorup is a promising new face at the helm in Augsburg, Marius Wolff is making a new start but will the Bavarians survive?
13. Can 'Gladbach who finished 14th push back towards European qualification where they belong?
14. RB Leipzig have made some very smart transfers again this summer will the two-time Pokal winners be serious challengers?
15. Former Southampton coach Ralph Hasenhüttl is back this time at VFL Wolfsburg, can he lead them back to the upper echelons?
16. Mainz bleibt Mainz, Kloppo's former club have been struggling in recent seasons what lies ahead?
17. Holstein Kiel have made it to the top tier for the first time in their history, what can we expect from the 1911 German title holders?
18. Hamburg are back but it's the Brown and Whites St Pauli not HSV, how will they manage in their first season without Fabian Huerzeler?
Plus who are the big transfers of the summer?
We hope you enjoy the show. Send us your comments, share the show with friends and don't forget to like it. If you want to contact the fan club, you can do so via the website borussiadortmundlondon.co.uk or in the online group at Facebook.com/borussiadortmundfanclubengland .
All rights reserved Borussia Dortmund Fan Club 2024.
Saturday Aug 03, 2024
Saturday Aug 03, 2024
Thank you for your interest in the BVB London Fan Community Podcast. Each episode of the show is about discovering a facet of Borussia Dortmund's life in conversation with experts and former participants in club life such as players, fans, coaches or even journalists who have influenced this club in its development.
Our guests today are Adam Stenning and Uli Hebel. Adam is a recognised name in reporting on Brighton Hove & Albion, he has also written regularly on the club for the Brighton Argus newspaper. He is the host of Brighton football page: "Adam Talks Albion', and a is a season-ticket-holder of many years with the South Coast Premier League club.
Uli Hebel is a TV commentator for leading sports channel DAZN, he covers Bundesliga and international football, and boxing, he also works for Sky TV Germany, Uli is the host of 'Klick and Rush' podcast, and a writer for Sports Illustrated.
1. All change at the top: Sven Mislintat is back, Lars Ricken is the new sporting director, Sebastian Kehl is move to the second row, what impact is it having, do the VFB Stuttgart transfers reflect Diamond eyes career?
2. Focus on Pascal Gross, a leader for midfield, what can he bring BVB?
3. Focus on Serhou Guirassy, Niclas Fuellkrug 'Fuelle' is out, the French-Guinean there were some injury questions, and an off/on scoring record over the years, but what an incredible season, what can we expect?
4. Focus on Waldemar Anton, the hardman from Uzbekistan, is he exactly what BVB need? Can he replace Mats Hummels, what does Anton bring?
5. Yan Couto is the latest in a series of Manchester City signings, he had a surreal season at Girona, sounds like a great signing?
6. A new chance for Mouki, he is a French speaker, he is struggling to breakthrough, he joins Leo Balerdi at Olympique Marseilles, will he shine?
7. Fuelle is gone, loss of a great personality, a great bit of business for BVB, but also for West Ham?
8. Nuri is on, Edin Terzic is off, does he have the experience to lead BVB in a time of change?
09.Plus where to and huge recognition for Marco and Mats and good bye to Marius Wolff and Mateu Morey, what will happen with Seb Haller and Felix Nmecha?
And don't ask Adam about Claudio Reyna... Find out why.
Social media.
We hope you enjoy the show. Send us your comments, share the show with friends and don't forget to like it. If you want to contact the fan club, you can do so via the website borussiadortmundlondon.co.uk or in the online group at Facebook.com/borussiadortmundfanclubengland .
All rights reserved Borussia Dortmund Fan Club 2024.
Wednesday May 08, 2024
Wednesday May 08, 2024
Thank you for your interest in the BVB London Fan Community Podcast. Each episode of the show is about discovering a facet of Borussia Dortmund's life in conversation with experts and former participants in club life such as players, fans, coaches or even journalists who have influenced this club in its development.
Our guest is Cedric van der Gun a Dutch TV football analyst, youth coach with Ajax, and a former winger whose former clubs include BvB, Swansea, and FC Utrecht.
Cedric played 272 matches and scored 56 goals and was selected for The Netherlands U21 side 5 times.
The Premier League has been taking a lot of glory in the past decade with a media deal 40% higher than the Bundesliga.
Most clubs are running a loss in the English league, further down the pyramid it is estimated the average losses are in the region of £60,000 per week in the English top four leagues.
Can a salary benefit smaller English clubs and other European leagues?
1. Cedric's own career with Swansea, BVB, Ajax and FC Utrecht.
2. Could the salary cap create a more level playing field and give a chance for less affluent clubs?
3. Can a salary cap even be successfully implemented in the Premier League?
4. What difference has the sheer amount of money in recent seasons in the Premier League made to smaller competitiveness in leagues in Europe?
5.Why have Dutch, and other European league clubs been reduced to a 'second tier' of football?
6. What will Arne Slot bring to Liverpool FC?
7. What has been the response in Holland to his appointment?
8. Is the Merseyside club too big for Arne Slot?
09. Will he manage with the big 'egos' in the locker room?
10. What was the story with Sporting Lisbon's Ruben Amorim?
11. What difference does the huge €10m fee paid for Slot to Feyenoord make to the Dutch club? What precedent does it set?
12. BVB's semifinal magic, a season of many highs and lows.
13. A review of other big European Leagues, the champions and the relegation candidates from Spain, Italy, France and Germany.
14. Social media
We hope you enjoy the show. Send us your comments, share the show with friends and don't forget to like it. If you want to contact the fan club, you can do so via the website borussiadortmundlondon.co.uk or in the online group at Facebook.com/borussiadortmundfanclubengland .
All rights reserved Borussia Dortmund Fan Club 2024.
Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
Thank you for your interest in the BVB London Fan Community Podcast. Each episode of the show is about discovering a facet of Borussia Dortmund's life in conversation with experts and former participants in club life such as players, fans, coaches or even journalists who have influenced this club in its development.
Our guest today is Rüdiger Ziehl, coach of 1 FC Saarbrücken, who played actively in defensive midfield between 1996 and 2010, making 200 professional appearances for 1 FC Kaiserslautern, Wehen Wiesbaden, Tus Koblenz and VFL Wolfsburg II, scoring 15 goals and finishing his career as champions of the Regionaliga-Nord with Wolfsburg in the 18/19 season.
Born in Zweibrücken, just 35km from Saarbrücken, the former midfielder, who also played as a defender, joined 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1996, from where he moved to SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the 2002/3 season in the Regionalliga-Süd, the fourth third-highest league. In the 2004/5 season, he moved to TuS Koblenz in the same league, where he remained until 2009. For the 2009/10 season, he moved to VfL Wolfsburg II in the fourth-tier Oberliga Nord, where he ended his career in 2011. He played three hundred and twenty-three games, 66 of them in the 2nd Bundesliga and 3 in the top tier Bundesliga.
After earning the UEFA Pro Coach badge, he began as assistant to Lorenz-Günther Köstner at VFL Wolfsburg II in the 2012/13 season. Later in the season, he took over as head coach and remained with the club until 2020.
In the 20/21 season, he took over as head coach at third-division club TSV Havelse. The team finished in eleventh. Ziehl then took over 1. FC Saarbrücken at the start of the 21/22 season. The team finished the season in fifth place and missed out on third place in the promotion play-offs by just one point.
The team is currently in 11th place, 12 points away from a promotion place. Things are looking much better in the cup, however, as the team from the Ludwigsparkstadion has reached the semi-finals, after wins against Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
A totally different team in the league than the one in the cup, how can that be explained? Find out in the interview:
- A look at the DFB's decision to drop Adidas for Nike, how the process of designing a new kit works, and why the multi-coloured cross on the back of the England away kit will have been agreed by the big decision makers at The FA.
- How dropping Hansi Flick was a short-sighted decision, but why the set-up under Julian Nagelsmann is a big step forward over the last years since 2014 for the German team.
- A look back over our guest's active career and his start in coaching including winning the title with Wolfsburg, what life like at Wolfsburg?
- The contrast in how the second teams (U21, U23s) are organised in Germany vs in England, why second teams playing in the third or fourth tiers is ideal for player development, and why the fourth tier divided in 5 regions is a league of derbies and a winner for the environment.
- Recollections of 1 FC Kaiserslautern with Miroslav Klose, who became one of the greatest German strikers of all time, and Murat Yakin, the current coach of the Swiss national team, Roman Weidenfeller, Taribo West and Youri Djorkaeff, the team finished 7th in the 1 Bundesliga under the recently deceased Kaiserslautern coach Andreas Brehme, and why players like Andi Brehme had German qualities which were admired across the game.
- Taking over 1. FC Saarbrücken, a historic German soccer club and founder of the Bundesliga in 1963, runners-up in 1943 and 1959, then four-time DFB Cup semi-finalist and two-time champion of the 2nd Bundesliga and even champion of the French Ligue 2 in 1949. The biggest club in Saarland, which spent five seasons in the Bundesliga. A sleeping giant. Was it pressure to take over such a sleeping giant when the fans have such high expectations?
- The fans' expectations are high but the funds are low, what is it like to lead the club with the Inter-style jersey?
- In their fourth consecutive season in the third division, promotion expectations have grown following last season's success, how does he manage the expectations?
- How he gets the most out of talents like Germany U20 keeper Tim Schreiber, currently on loan from RB Leipzig, captain and former SC Paderborn midfielder Manuel Zeitz, and top scorer, former Bradford City striker, Kai Brünker.
- Life at 1. FC Saarbrücken, a historic German soccer club and founder of the Bundesliga in 1963, runners-up in 1943 and 1959, then four-time DFB Cup semi-finalist and two-time champion of the 2nd Bundesliga and even champion of the French Ligue 2 in 1949, what it's like managing a true sleeping giant.
- What is the special bond with the fans in the region? And the team spirit in the squad?
- In the 23/24 DFB Cup season, you beat Bayern Munich, Eintracht and 'Gladbach and defeated superior teams with some of the best players in the world. What are your outstanding memories of those games?
- In the semi-final you'll be playing against your former club 1. FC Kaiserslautern, is there an advantage for you, how much of a derby is the game?
- How much would it mean for your career to reach the final, and which team do you want to play in Berlin?
- Speaking about the future, do you follow a team in the English game? Would you consider working in the Premier League, or even further afield like Saudi Arabia or the USA?
- Social media.
We hope you enjoy the show. Send us your comments, share the show with friends and don't forget to like it. If you want to contact the fan club, you can do so via the website borussiadortmundlondon.co.uk or in the online group at Facebook.com/borussiadortmundfanclubengland .
All rights reserved Borussia Dortmund Fan Club 2024.
Monday Mar 11, 2024
Monday Mar 11, 2024
Thank you for your interest in the BvB London fan community podcast, as every week the focus of the show will be on exploring a facet of football life with a focus on Borussia Dortmund by talking to experts, fans, and players and coaches.
People, including journalists, who make up the football world including decision makers and who know the football world and the world of BVB well.
The aim of the podcast is to make Borussia Dortmund, Bundesliga, and developments in international football accessible.
On today's English-language podcast our guests are David Hellier, a journalist at Bloomberg who leads the channels coverage of sport and football business who features regularly on Bloomberg TV and is the former editor of City AM.
The second guest is Mark Meehan a Chelsea season ticket-holder for over 30 years, author of the book: 'Blue Tomorrow' on the Ken Bates era at Chelsea (1982-2003), and is the Chairman of the Chelsea Supporters Trust, and is a member of the club's advisory trust.
The aim of the show is to look at what's going with Investments into football clubs, fans stakes and what impact this can have on the German 50+1 model.
The holding company of the Bundesliga, the DFL, decided on Thursday, following an ongoing wave of protests by fans, to drop the plan to sell a stake in the media rights to an outside investor.
The sale of media rights was carried out by La Liga and Ligue 1 which raised a short-term cash injection but two years after the pandemic many clubs in the leagues are back in financial difficulty.
Many observers argue that had this gone ahead in Germany it would have benefitted the league very little in the long run.
The fans in the Bundesliga have shown by their actions their commitment to the 50+1 rule which limits outside investors and protects the rights of members to have a say in the way clubs are run.
In the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, thanks to the 50+1 rule, which ensure that members retain the majority stake in football clubs, the situation is different. Following Hoffenheim's change of ownership in November, fans now retain a controlling influence in all but three clubs; VfL Wolfsburg, RB Leipzig and Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Football clubs however are increasingly coming under the control of investment funds, including state-backed funds, and football has long been a desirable cash-generating, if not always profitable, asset.
Investment by high-net-worth individuals, and corporations in football, in particular in the Premier League has risen sharply. Now only one English top tier club, newly promoted Luton Town, remains fan-owned.
In the 22/23 season investors increased their stakes in German clubs. David Blitzer's 'Bolt investment holdings' into FC Augsburg, and 777 Partners investment into Hertha Berlin in particular are notable.
The stake of fans, in particular in England, has been reduced significantly in recent years, so what insights can be gained from the German fans lead?
The topics:
What impact would a sale in media rights have on the 50+1 model in German football?
How is the investment by funds, including venture capital funds and multi-club owners changing the wider football landscape?
In which way does the English club ownership model contrast with the 50+1 model of membership in Germany?
What does the new record £6.7bn Premier League media deal with Sky and TNT mean for the competition like the Bundesliga?
What has been the Premier League's contrasting financial fortunes with those of Bundesliga clubs been since the pandemic?
What has La Liga's experience experience with selling a share in their media rights to CVC been since 2021?
Plus why is the Bundesliga's member ownership a model for football?
And what is the fan experience of being a member in a Bundesliga club i.e BVB? And what are organised fans in Germany's main concerns about the rights sale?
Social media.
Apologies for the sound issues at the start of the podcast which were down to an unavoidable technical difficulty.
We hope you enjoy the show, remember to send us your comments, share the show with friends and to apply for tickets contact the club via the website which is borussiadortmundlondon.co.uk or join the London BvB community at our online group at Facebook.com/borussiadortmundfanclubengland.
During the season you can also come to watch a game at our meet-up Stammtisch at the Temperance, at 90 Fulham High Street, in central London.
All rights reserved Borussia Dortmund London Ltd 2024.
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Thank you for your interest in the BVB London Fan Community Podcast. Each episode of the show is about discovering a facet of Borussia Dortmund's life in conversation with experts and former participants in club life such as players, fans, coaches or even journalists who have influenced this club in its development.
Our guest today is Jesco von Eichmann. Jesco is one of the most recognisable football presenters on Sky Sports News TV Germany.
Jesco is not just a face of football reporting but he is also a radio reporter and the leading writer on BVB for Sky. Jesco was raised and studied in the Ruhrgebiet in Bochum.
The Champions League kicks off this week with Brugge v Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, 8pm UK time.
The number of group stages and when they take place has changed, but the current iteration - 32 teams divided into eight groups, with the top two from each entering the knockout stage - has been in place for two decades.
Dortmund have to play Celtic, Brugge, Sturm Graz, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Shaktar Donetzk, Bologna and Dinamo Zagreb.
1. All change in the Champions League: A look at the new tournament format.
2. A Focus on the game ahead against Club Brugge, always a tough opponent, will the Belgian leaders cause an upset?
3. A trip to the new Santiago Bernabeu of Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham returns to Westfalenstadion.
4. Hansi Flick has the inside track on the Bundesliga but what will reception will Robert Lewandowski get from the Suedtribuene?
5. A warm welcome assured for the SPL Champions, Celtic FC in Dortmund.
6. Visitors Austrian Champions Sturm Graz have pushed out RB Salzburg winning the 23/24 title how far can the Christian Ilzer coached club, whose players include Scotland U21 Max Johnston, go?
7. Can 25-time record Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb challenge Die Schwarz-Gelben away?
8. A fifth placed finish for the Italian side Bologna will the trip to Northern Italy present a hiccup for BVB?
09. Shaktar Donetzk, a known opponent, a chance for solidarity with the war-torn country in Dortmund but how good are Marino Pusic's team?
10. Predictions? Can Borussia win the final 28 years later in Munich in 2025?
11. Social media.
We hope you enjoy the show. Send us your comments, share the show with friends and don't forget to like it. If you want to contact the fan club, you can do so via the website borussiadortmundlondon.co.uk or in the online group at Facebook.com/borussiadortmundfanclubengland .
All rights reserved Borussia Dortmund Fan Club 2024.
Tuesday Dec 05, 2023
Tuesday Dec 05, 2023
Thank you for your interest in the BVB London Fan Community Podcast. In each episode, we focus on discovering a facet of Borussia Dortmund's life in the podcast by talking to experts and former participants in the club's life such as players, fans, coaches or even journalists who have influenced this club in its development.
Our guests on the podcast today, for a UEFA European Championship 2024 preview, are Stuart Rayner, chief football writer of The Yorkshire Post newspaper, and Andreas Gschaider, a Munich-based football entrepreneur.
Stuart Rayner, the chief football writer of the Yorkshire Post newspaper, is also a specialised cricket writer and the author of two books 'Five Trophies and a Funeral' and 'War of the Roses'.
Andreas Gschaider, is the founder of football training app B42, the app which was created together with the DFB, the German national team, Physio Oliver Schmidtlein.
B42 is a specialist training app which allows players to put together training programmes designed to optimise training and recovery, as well as nutritional advice. The app is used by over 1,000 teams and players at clubs including 1. FC Nürnberg, Werder Bremen and VfB Stuttgart.
The draw for the UEFA European Championship 2024 has taken place and the hosts are in a group A which includes Scotland. Whilst England are in group C with amongst others Denmark.
Eight stadia across Germany including Dortmund's Westfalenstadion are hosting the matches from the 14 June to July 14th.
The twenty-four teams are divided into 8 groups of 4 teams; groups A to F. The qualified teams are: England, Scotland, France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Albania, Serbia, Romania, Switzerland, hosts Germany, Croatia, Portugal, Czechia, Slovenia, Belgium, Slovenia, Netherlands, Slovakia, and Turkiye.
Four teams of the remaining play-offs between the best placed third place finishers i.e Israel, Poland, Luxembourg, Wales, Iceland and Kazakhstan. The playoff will take place in March.
The tournament is the biggest to take place in Germany since FIFA World Cup 2006, this is Germany's second European championship as hosts after the 1988 event, which was won by outsiders Denmark.
The podcast is a group by group preview, a look at Julian Nagelsmann's team, and a test of the 'Stimmungslage' (mood) ahead of the football fest in Germany. As well as a look at the BVB players who are expected to make their mark.
1. Germany's group A Switzerland, Hungary, Scotland.
2. Group B the 'group of death' Spain, Croatia, Albania, Italy.
3. England's group C Slovenia, Serbia, Denmark.
4. Group D France, Austria, Netherlands and a play-off qualifier which could be Wales, Finland, Poland or Estonia.
5. Group E Belgium, Slovakia, Netherlands and a play-off qualifier which could be Ukraine, Bosnia-Herzengovina, Israel or Iceland.
6. Group F Portugal, Czechia, Turkey and winner of play-off c which could be either Greece, Georgia, Luxembourg or Kazakhstan.
7. How is interim manager Julian Nagelsmann doing? Can 'Die Nationalmannschaft' shine?
8. The FIFA World Cup 2006 was a huge success for Germany but the country is in an economic downturn at this time, how are preparations going? Is the country up for the tournament?
09. A look at the Dortmund players who are likely to feature in the tournament including Nico Schlotterbeck, Marcel Sabitzer, Karim Adeyemi, Mats Hummels, Marius Wolf, Julian Brandt, Marcel Sabitzer, Gregor Kobel, Niclas Füllkrug and maybe Jadon Sancho...
10. The DFB U17 World Cup winners, is the beginning of a new era for 'Die Nationalelf'?
11. Dortmund's Westfalentstadion is once more one of the venues, Kaiserslautern and Hannover however are out, we look at the hosting venues.
12. Social media.
We hope you enjoy the show. Send us your comments, share the show with friends and don't forget to like. If you want to contact the fan club, you can do so via the website borussiadortmundlondon.co.uk or in the online group at Facebook.com/borussiadortmundfanclubengland .
All rights reserved Borussia Dortmund Fan Club London 2023