Relaxed mood and Waldemar Anton’s promise to fan delegates | OneFootball

The fan delegates’ meeting is organized twice a year by the fan liaison officers and serves as a forum for all BVB fan clubs to stay informed about current developments surrounding BVB, and especially about news in the fan club sector. It also gives fan club representatives the opportunity to take part in Q&A sessions with guests such as coaches, players, or managing directors.

The event was opened by Carsten Cramer and Benedikt Watermeier (Head of the Fan Affairs Department). Watermeier began with a brief look back at the completed 2025/26 season, combined with a big thank-you to all fans for their committed support of Borussia Dortmund.

After that, a relaxed atmosphere quickly developed beneath the stands of the Yellow Wall. Between the stadium kiosks, the stairways up to the Südtribüne, and the murals of BVB legends Aki Schmidt and Jakub Blaszczykowski, the fan club representatives got into conversation with those responsible at the club. There was explicitly room for critical questions – and concrete answers.

Carsten Cramer was visibly pleased with the exchange. The spokesperson for the BVB management took many suggestions away with him directly, and some concerns were even discussed and resolved on the spot. Where an immediate solution was not possible, timely next steps were announced. In doing so, Cramer made it clear: the dialogue with the fans should not only take place, but also make a difference.

Book: “It felt a bit like coming home for me”

As usual, Norbert Dickel opened the sporting section. The focus was on sporting director Ole Book and BVB professional Waldemar Anton. Both quickly made clear how much they value the special bond between Borussia Dortmund and its fan scene.

Book spoke about his first few weeks in the new role and also about his very personal connection to the club. “I knew how powerful this club is,” explained the new sporting director. He said he had followed almost every game over the past 35 years and was therefore not surprised by BVB’s size. Even so, his start had felt special: “For me, it was a bit like coming home. I’ve been a BVB fan since childhood.”

Looking at his ongoing first transfer window, Book drew a positive interim conclusion. Within the sporting leadership, they had quickly come together as a team. His own task had been to bring in new ideas boldly and proactively and to create more creativity. “I think we’ve done that pretty well,” said Book.

The 40-year-old once again emphasized that the most important pillars of the professional squad had been kept together. He sees this as an important foundation for further development in particular: “Not all top teams in Europe have managed to keep their core together like this.”

Ahead of the Bundesliga season opener against Hamburger SV on Saturday (29.08, 6:30 p.m.), the sporting director added, with regard to the squad’s rejuvenation: “The character and attitude of the boys are right. And when talent is added to that, we can be optimistic. There will be ups and downs. But at the end of this development of our young players, something very good will emerge.”

Anton: “Being close to the fans is incredibly important for us”

Waldemar Anton then turned his attention to the special relationship at BVB between the team and the fans. Home matches are still something very special for the Germany international to this day. The support from the Südtribüne and the entire stadium creates a “special aura.” Away from home, too, the support is “incredible,” as Anton put it.

The centre-back also spoke about the effort BVB’s loyal supporters make for their team. In view of rising travel costs, his gratitude to the supporters was especially great: “So from the team and from me, a huge thank-you for that!” For him, the closeness between the team and the fans is “incredibly important” and helps the team enormously.

Anton provided a special moment at the end of the sporting discussion. In response to a fan question about the team’s recently increased distance from the Südtribüne after wins, the centre-back responded self-critically and with a clear promise. “I’m sorry if it wasn’t close enough. We will definitely do better next season!” said Anton. The issue had already been addressed within the team.

Cramer: “The strength of our club is always there when we act in unity”

Carsten Cramer then turned his attention to Borussia Dortmund’s overall development. He also addressed the club’s economic future and the controversial question of how BVB can remain competitive in the long term.

Cramer made it clear that the club wants to continue reducing its structural deficit and therefore also needs to think about new approaches. On the subject of the stadium and ticketing, for example, he announced that a fairer and different pricing structure would be necessary for the 2027/28 season. At the same time, he made clear that this was “not an advance warning of outrageous price increases.” Rather, the point was to speak openly about all possible options in order to further develop Borussia Dortmund economically.

In doing so, Cramer placed at the center the question that is decisive for the club’s future: “Where do we want to go as Borussia Dortmund?”

On the subject of 50+1, Carsten Cramer was especially clear. Any further development of the club will take place exclusively within this framework. “50+1 is untouchable! You have that promise and commitment from all of us,” said Cramer, underlining the importance of the existing model for Borussia Dortmund and the Bundesliga.

Carsten Cramer did not want to conclude his remarks without once again pointing to the strong development of the BVB women’s team: “What we have put together for the new season in women’s football deserves the very highest recognition! I think it’s fantastic to suddenly see an Alex Popp playing in a black-and-yellow shirt. I’m very proud of what we as BVB have built in women’s football. It’s great to see how well the topic is being embraced here in Dortmund!”

Shared anticipation for the 2026/2027 season

Dr. Christian Hockenjos, Director of Organization, then used his section of the fan delegates’ meeting to inform those present about a whole range of topics, speaking with the fan representatives among other things about the latest work on and in the stadium and new infrastructure investments.

In a closing section, Benedikt Watermeier first reported on the latest developments from the Fan Affairs Department before Jannis Kruck, Coordinator of Youth Fan Work, presented the activities in his area and outlined the current initiatives and projects involving young BVB fans.

After the official end of the fan delegates’ meeting, everyone present was also invited for a free beer. As always, there was once again an opportunity for fans to come together in smaller groups with the fan liaison officers and representatives of other specialist departments and discuss individual concerns.

Overall, the event beneath the Südtribüne was marked by open conversations, clear answers, and shared anticipation for what lies ahead for Borussia Dortmund in 2026/27. The many fans who had traveled from all over Germany on Tuesday evening went home with many answers and Waldemar Anton’s very concrete promise.

At this point, we would also like to once again thank all the fan club representatives in attendance for taking part! If you have any further questions about the fan delegates’ meeting or fan clubs in general, you are welcome to contact fanclubs@bvb.de at any time.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.