Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund (full name Ballspiel-Verein Borussia 1909 e.V. Dortmund, often short BVB) is a German football team based in Dortmund. They play in the Bundesliga, and have achieved considerable national and international success. Borussia Dortmund have claimed six Bundesliga titles in total, making them one of the most successful and popular clubs in Germany. They had their biggest international success in 1997, when the team claimed both the Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup. The football department is the most famous of the club, but it also has a handball and table tennis department.

Related Topics:
German - Football - Dortmund - Bundesliga - 1997 - Champions League - Intercontinental Cup - Handball - Table tennis

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The club was founded on December 19, 1909 in a room of the pub Zum Wildschütz in Dortmund. The name Borussia (Latin for Prussia) was adopted from the nearby Borussia brewery.

Related Topics:
December 19 - 1909 - Latin - Prussia

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The club's stadium, Westfalenstadion (named after the North Rhine-Westphalia region where the club was established), currently is the largest football arena in Germany with a capacity of 81,264 seats and will host several matches of the {{Wc|2006}}, including a semi-final. Borussia Dortmund also has the highest average attendance of any football club in Europe (more than 80,000 per match in 2004).

Related Topics:
Westfalenstadion - North Rhine-Westphalia

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After a string of very successful seasons in the 1990s, Borussia Dortmund was the first German football team to be placed on the stock market in 2000. However, due to mismanagement and wasteful transaction and loan policy, the club slipped into a major financial crisis in the early 2000s. In 2002, the Westfalenstadion had to be sold. By 2005, the financial situation had deteriorated dramatically and in February 2005 club officials confirmed that the club's existence was threatened. An emergency plan was put into force to avert bankruptcy, resulting in massive budget cuts and the departure of crucial players.

Related Topics:
Stock market - 2000 - 2002 - 2005

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Current notable players include Jan Koller, Tomas Rosicky and Christoph Metzelder. However, Koller has announced that he is going to leave Dortmund after the current season, and budget restrictions will make it difficult for the club to keep its other key players. On top of that, the team had a miserable start into the new season, failing to qualify for the UEFA cup competition and being eliminated early from the German Cup competition (and thus wasting chances to generate additional income for the club).

Related Topics:
Jan Koller - Tomas Rosicky - Christoph Metzelder - UEFA cup - German Cup

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The arch rival of Borussia is FC Schalke 04 of nearby Gelsenkirchen. The last match on 13 August 2005 ended with a Schalke victory of 2:1 in Westfalenstadion.

Related Topics:
FC Schalke 04 - Gelsenkirchen

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