| BORUSSIA DORTMUND |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
Signal Iduna Park
Originally named Westfalen Stadion (and still referred to as such by many fans), Signal Iduna Park is the largest
football stadium in Germany and the sixth largest in Europe , boasting a capacity of 80,720. It is the home of the
powerhouse Borussia Dortmund team in the German Bundesliga. It was opened in the early 70s, and was
renovated and expanded numerous times to bring it to its current configuration. It was also one of the host venues
for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
The venue is located just a couple kilometers out side of the Dortmund Center City , and is easily accessible via
the local subway to the Westfallenhalle station or by DB train to the Signal Iduna Park station. For those who
choose to drive, there is limited parking available nearby at the cost of 3-euros. The stadium itself is nestled in a
bucolic park, with trails, picnic areas and plenty of greenspace. Fans who arrive early can partake of the myriad of
concession stands and beer gardens that set up on game day. There is also a pretty cool and trendy
neighborhood north of the stadium called the Kreuzviertel, with plenty of corner pubs, restaurants and eateries to
cater to hungry and thirsty fans before and after the game.
A Borussia Dortmund game is literally a goosebump experience. Anyone coming to a game should arrive early,
and partake in the growing pregame crescendo, replete with fight songs, chants, a rendition of “You’ll Never Walk
Alone” from Carousel, all a frenzied build up to the point where the place is packed 80,000+ strong and the teams
take to the field.
80,000? Yeah, pretty massive, and the place has a feel of a big place, and with a steep seating pitch on all four
sides, puts the fans right on top of the action. Unlike many of its peer venues, fans here can walk around the entire
stadium, except for the visiting fans section which is in one end zone and is cordoned off from the rest of the
concourses.
Despite having the most seats to fill anywhere in the Bundesliga, a Borussia Dortmund ticket is one of the hardest
to get, as season ticket subscriptions pretty much dominate sales here. The team has had four Bundesliga
championships in the past two decades (1995, 1996, 2002 and 2011), and consistently rank near the top of the
league standings. They are the toast of the Dortmund region and fans respond in kind with huge support.
During the most recent renovation, the team added a team museum called the “Borusseum”, located on the club
level in the northeast corner of the stadium.
If you want to get people jacked up around here, just mention “Schalke” and it works like a charm. Schalke 04 is
Borussia Dortmund’s main and bitter rival, located just 20 miles away in nearby Gelsenkirchen. For the most part,
Dortmund pretty much owns Schalke, yet that doesn’t stop their blue and white face painted fans from coming into
town and stirring things up. Look for an especially intense fan experience when these two teams collide.
USRT VISIT: September 29, 2011, Borussia Dortmund v FC Augsburg
football stadium in Germany and the sixth largest in Europe , boasting a capacity of 80,720. It is the home of the
powerhouse Borussia Dortmund team in the German Bundesliga. It was opened in the early 70s, and was
renovated and expanded numerous times to bring it to its current configuration. It was also one of the host venues
for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
The venue is located just a couple kilometers out side of the Dortmund Center City , and is easily accessible via
the local subway to the Westfallenhalle station or by DB train to the Signal Iduna Park station. For those who
choose to drive, there is limited parking available nearby at the cost of 3-euros. The stadium itself is nestled in a
bucolic park, with trails, picnic areas and plenty of greenspace. Fans who arrive early can partake of the myriad of
concession stands and beer gardens that set up on game day. There is also a pretty cool and trendy
neighborhood north of the stadium called the Kreuzviertel, with plenty of corner pubs, restaurants and eateries to
cater to hungry and thirsty fans before and after the game.
A Borussia Dortmund game is literally a goosebump experience. Anyone coming to a game should arrive early,
and partake in the growing pregame crescendo, replete with fight songs, chants, a rendition of “You’ll Never Walk
Alone” from Carousel, all a frenzied build up to the point where the place is packed 80,000+ strong and the teams
take to the field.
80,000? Yeah, pretty massive, and the place has a feel of a big place, and with a steep seating pitch on all four
sides, puts the fans right on top of the action. Unlike many of its peer venues, fans here can walk around the entire
stadium, except for the visiting fans section which is in one end zone and is cordoned off from the rest of the
concourses.
Despite having the most seats to fill anywhere in the Bundesliga, a Borussia Dortmund ticket is one of the hardest
to get, as season ticket subscriptions pretty much dominate sales here. The team has had four Bundesliga
championships in the past two decades (1995, 1996, 2002 and 2011), and consistently rank near the top of the
league standings. They are the toast of the Dortmund region and fans respond in kind with huge support.
During the most recent renovation, the team added a team museum called the “Borusseum”, located on the club
level in the northeast corner of the stadium.
If you want to get people jacked up around here, just mention “Schalke” and it works like a charm. Schalke 04 is
Borussia Dortmund’s main and bitter rival, located just 20 miles away in nearby Gelsenkirchen. For the most part,
Dortmund pretty much owns Schalke, yet that doesn’t stop their blue and white face painted fans from coming into
town and stirring things up. Look for an especially intense fan experience when these two teams collide.
USRT VISIT: September 29, 2011, Borussia Dortmund v FC Augsburg
