Borussia Dortmund’s supporter culture is closely connected to the industrial identity of the Ruhr. Coal mines, steelworks and working-class districts shaped the city for generations, while football provided a shared meeting point for people from Dortmund and the surrounding region. Borussia, however, is no longer only a local institution. It has become an internationally recognised and highly commercialised club, creating a permanent tension between its global identity and the traditions defended on the terraces.
At the centre of that culture stands the Südtribüne of the Westfalenstadion, commercially known as Signal Iduna Park. With space for 24,454 standing supporters during domestic matches, it is the largest standing terrace in Europe and one of the most recognisable stands in world football. Internationally, it is usually called the Yellow Wall, but within Dortmund it is understood as far more than a spectacular background for television broadcasts. It is a working terrace shaped by ultras groups, traditional fan clubs, long-standing season-ticket holders and thousands of independent supporters. The Yellow Wall and the ultras scene are not the same thing. Organised groups occupy only part of the Südtribüne, although they provide much of its coordination, visual material and fan-political organisation. The terrace reaches its greatest intensity when the active core and the wider stand act together, but that cooperation is never automatic. The size and diversity of the Südtribüne are both its greatest strengths and its central organisational challenge.
Before the Modern Ultras Movement
Borussia Dortmund had a large and committed following long before ultras culture reached Germany. Traditional fan clubs, scarves, flags and spontaneous chanting shaped the support during the club’s years at Stadion Rote Erde and after the Westfalenstadion opened in 1974. The atmosphere was less centrally organised than it is today, but the relationship between the club, the city and its supporters was already firmly established.
During the late 1970s and 1980s, hooliganism became increasingly visible across German football. Dortmund developed one of the country’s most notorious hooligan environments, particularly around Borussenfront. Founded in 1982, the group became associated with violence and with far-right and neo-Nazi networks in the city. This remains one of the darkest chapters in the history of the BVB fanbase and should not be presented as a direct predecessor of the modern ultras movement. The emergence of ultras culture did not automatically remove far-right influence from Dortmund’s supporter environment. Different currents continued to exist alongside one another, and conflicts over the political and cultural direction of the Südtribüne remained visible during later decades. The development of the modern scene was therefore more complicated than a simple transition from right-wing hooliganism to a new and unified supporter movement.
Desperados Dortmund, The Unity and Jubos
During the 1990s, younger German supporters became increasingly influenced by the ultras culture developing in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. Continuous chanting, capos, choreographies, large flags and independently organised groups offered a different model from both traditional fan clubs and hooligan firms. Dortmund’s modern ultras movement began to take a clearer shape towards the end of the decade. Desperados Dortmund was founded in 1999 and became one of the first permanent groups of the new generation. Its members established a visible presence at home and away matches and contributed to the growing organisation of Dortmund’s active support. The Unity followed in January 2001, with its name reflecting an ambition to unite different voices within the emerging scene and improve coordination inside the stadium.
The Unity developed gradually rather than immediately taking control of the Südtribüne. Dortmund already possessed a large and complicated supporter landscape, and no single organisation could claim authority over everyone behind the goal. Nevertheless, the group became one of the most influential forces within the scene through its role in chanting, choreographies, away travel, independent publications and campaigns concerning Borussia Dortmund and German football. In January 2026, The Unity completed twenty-five years of activity, an important level of continuity within a movement in which internal conflicts, stadium bans and generational changes have caused many groups to disappear. Junge Borussen, better known as Jubos, emerged in 2005 and became the third major organisation within Dortmund’s active scene. Its members and banners were a familiar presence in the central sections of the Südtribüne and in away ends for fifteen years. Jubos announced its dissolution in 2020, ending an important chapter and altering the internal structure of Dortmund’s support. The Unity and Desperados remain the two best-known ultras groups, but smaller groups, fan clubs and independent supporters continue to shape the identity and functioning of the terrace.
Südtribüne Dortmund and the Organisation of the Terrace
The Dortmund scene cannot be understood only through individual ultras groups. Südtribüne Dortmund plays an important role as a wider alliance connecting organised supporters, fan clubs and supporter initiatives across the terrace. It is not a separate ultras group, but a platform through which different parts of the fanbase can communicate and act collectively. This structure allows groups to publish joint statements, coordinate protests and organise demonstrations without giving up their separate identities. Südtribüne Dortmund has addressed issues including ticket prices, policing, stadium regulations, kick-off times, commercial partnerships and the treatment of travelling supporters. The alliance became especially visible during opposition to Borussia Dortmund’s partnership with Rheinmetall. More than ninety fan groups supported a joint declaration criticising the club’s agreement with the arms manufacturer, demonstrating that organised resistance could extend far beyond the two principal ultras groups.
Inside the stadium, capos positioned at the front of the central blocks use megaphones to begin chants, while drummers maintain the rhythm and large flags create movement across the lower sections. Participation usually becomes less consistent towards the outer areas, and the Südtribüne does not always function as perfectly as television images suggest. Some supporters favour continuous singing, while others prefer to react more directly to events on the pitch. The international popularity of the Yellow Wall has created an additional challenge. Many visitors want to experience the Südtribüne because of its reputation, but the active scene believes that standing in its central sections carries a responsibility to participate. For the ultras, the terrace should not become a tourist attraction occupied by people more interested in recording the atmosphere than contributing to it. At the same time, the groups do not own the Südtribüne and cannot claim to represent every person inside it. The stand remains a shared space in which organisation, independence and different expectations must constantly be balanced.
Choreographies and Visual Culture
Choreographies are the most visible result of the work carried out by Dortmund’s organised supporters. Large displays can cover the entire Südtribüne and require months of planning, fundraising and voluntary labour. Designs are normally kept secret until matchday, while fabric, paint, flags, card sheets and lifting systems must be prepared and positioned before the players enter the pitch. These displays are primarily financed through donations, merchandise and collections organised by the supporters themselves, allowing the groups to control their messages without relying on club management or commercial sponsors. The scale of the work can be enormous. In September 2025, the organisers revealed that one recent home choreography had cost approximately €45,000 when materials, logistics and a new lifting construction for the upper sections were included. Such figures demonstrate that a major display is not a spontaneous decoration, but a complex project built through voluntary work and collective financing.
Dortmund choreographies frequently refer to the city, the Westfalenstadion, club symbols, historical figures and important moments in the supporter movement. Derbies, European matches and group anniversaries usually receive the largest presentations. One of the most famous examples appeared before the 2013 Champions League quarter-final against Málaga. Under the message Auf der Suche nach dem verlorenen Henkelpott - “In Search of the Lost European Cup” - a giant supporter looked through binoculars towards the trophy above the Südtribüne. The choreography referred to Borussia’s 1997 European triumph and transformed the entire stand into a single visual narrative. Its international reputation came from the final image, but its importance within Dortmund also reflected the months of organisation and the ability to coordinate tens of thousands of people across Europe’s largest standing terrace. Pyrotechnics have also appeared during derbies, away matches and group anniversaries. Their use is prohibited and can result in fines, stadium bans and disciplinary action, although many ultras regard controlled pyrotechnics as a legitimate element of terrace culture. Clubs and police emphasise safety and stadium regulations, while supporter groups argue that blanket prohibition has failed and that regulated alternatives should be considered.
Westfalenstadion: Defending the Name
One of the most distinctly Dortmund struggles concerns the name of the stadium. Opened as the Westfalenstadion in 1974, the ground received a commercial name after the naming rights were sold in 2005. Although Signal Iduna Park is used in official and commercial communication, Westfalenstadion remains the dominant name within the active supporter movement. The Unity and other sections of the Südtribüne have repeatedly defended the original name through choreographies, banners, stickers, publications and chants. The message Seit 1974 und für immer Westfalenstadion - “Since 1974 and Forever Westfalenstadion” - expresses the belief that a sponsorship agreement cannot replace a name created through decades of shared experience.
For the ultras, this is not simply an exercise in nostalgia. The issue represents a broader conflict over whether clubs and sponsors can commercially control places, symbols and traditions whose meaning was created by supporters. Preserving the name Westfalenstadion has therefore become part of Dortmund’s resistance to the commercial transformation of football. The continued presence of the original name in everyday language demonstrates the limits of commercial naming rights when supporters refuse to accept the replacement.
Vorspiel and Independent Fan Media
Ultras culture is not limited to what appears inside the stadium. Groups document their activities and communicate their positions through independent publications, allowing them to speak without relying on the club or commercial media. The Unity’s matchday fanzine, Vorspiel, is one of the most important examples within the Dortmund scene.
The publication contains reports from home and away matches, statements on fan-political issues, information about friendly groups and reflections on developments within Borussia’s support. It also creates a written record of the movement from the perspective of its own members. In 2025, Vorspiel reached its 250th edition, while older issues provide valuable material for understanding the development of The Unity, changes on the Südtribüne, relationships with foreign groups and the debates that have shaped Dortmund’s active support. The fanzine is openly subjective and should not be treated as neutral journalism. That subjectivity is precisely what makes it valuable. It shows how the group views itself, its friendships, its opponents and the football industry without those positions being filtered through the club or outside media.
Away Support and the Guest Sector
Away travel is central to Dortmund’s ultras culture. The Südtribüne provides the movement with its largest stage, but the commitment of an active group is also measured through regular journeys across Germany and Europe. Borussia’s enormous supporter base means that away allocations are usually heavily oversubscribed, making the internal organisation of the guest sector especially important. Groups coordinate transport, meeting points, flags, drums and information about local stadium regulations. They also attempt to position active supporters together so that the guest section can function as a coordinated block rather than a collection of disconnected ticket holders. European fixtures introduce further complications, including personalised tickets, passport controls, restrictive collection procedures and changes to the normal allocation system.
The Unity and Desperados demonstrated their position before Borussia’s European match in Copenhagen on 21 October 2025. Both groups announced that they would not attend because of personalised tickets and changes to Dortmund’s usual distribution process. The decision showed that a prestigious European trip was considered less important than principles involving privacy, ticket access and independent organisation. Dortmund’s supporters have also participated in wider campaigns against collective punishment, excessive police operations and preventative restrictions on travelling fans. Away culture is therefore one of the most political areas of ultras activity. Decisions concerning personal data, entry procedures and police controls directly affect freedom of movement and the ability of groups to organise inside a stadium.
International Friendships
Dortmund’s international relationships must be explained through the groups that maintain them. It is inaccurate to claim that Borussia Dortmund’s entire fanbase has an official friendship with another club. These connections are normally built through direct contact between particular groups, repeated visits and personal trust developed over many years. The most visible friendship involving Desperados Dortmund connects the group with ultras from Catania’s Curva Sud. The relationship has been maintained through mutual visits, shared banners and messages of solidarity in Dortmund and Sicily. Desperados have publicly supported their Catania friends during periods of arrests, stadium bans and repression, while Catania representatives and symbols have appeared at important occasions within the Dortmund scene.
The Unity maintains a close friendship with Alpha Brøndby, connected to Brøndby IF in Denmark. Members attend one another’s matches and have expressed solidarity over issues including ownership, repression and the protection of Brøndby’s traditional identity. The Unity also has a long-standing relationship with Super 3 of Aris Thessaloniki. Dortmund supporters have repeatedly travelled to Greece, while members of the Aris scene have visited Dortmund and stood alongside their German friends. The connection has continued across different generations and is regularly acknowledged through banners, visits and reports in independent publications. These friendships belong to specific groups rather than entire clubs or fanbases. Liverpool occupies a different category. Borussia and Liverpool supporters share visible mutual respect, strengthened by the use of You’ll Never Walk Alone and the atmosphere surrounding their Europa League meetings in 2016. However, this should not be confused with an official ultras friendship. The relationships with Catania, Alpha Brøndby and Super 3 are maintained through organised groups and personal contacts, while the Liverpool connection belongs more to the public identity and mutual perception of the two wider fanbases.
The Revierderby
No opponent carries the same importance for Dortmund’s supporters as Schalke 04. The Revierderby connects two neighbouring cities whose football identities developed within the same industrial region. Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen are separated by approximately thirty kilometres, meaning supporters encounter one another in workplaces, schools and everyday life. For the active scene, the derby is the most important test of visual preparation, internal organisation and vocal support. Choreographies and banners are prepared in secrecy, while the positioning of capos, flags and active supporters receives particular attention. The atmosphere differs from an ordinary Bundesliga fixture. Messages become sharper, chants focus directly on the opponent and every result is interpreted through the rivalry between the two cities.
Schalke’s periods outside the Bundesliga have reduced the number of meetings but not the hostility. The rivalry does not depend on league positions, championship races or international attention. It remains embedded in everyday life in the Ruhr and continues to define the identities of both supporter movements. One of the most important protests in Dortmund’s fan-political history was also built around the derby. In September 2010, Borussia supporters returned 1,604 tickets for the away match at Schalke after a significant increase in admission prices. Missing the derby was an extreme decision, but it ensured that the issue received attention across Germany. The protest helped establish Kein Zwanni für ’nen Steher, a campaign demanding affordable standing and seating tickets. What began in Dortmund spread to supporters of other clubs and became one of Germany’s best-known ticket-price initiatives.
The boycott demonstrated that Dortmund’s active supporters were prepared to sacrifice attendance at their most important fixture in order to defend a wider principle. Bayern Munich represents a different form of rivalry. Matches between Dortmund and Bayern carry national importance and have often been connected to championships and cup finals, but Bayern does not occupy the same emotional position as Schalke. Bayern is a major competitive opponent; Schalke is the historical and local rival that defines Dortmund’s supporter culture. RB Leipzig is viewed primarily as an ideological opponent. Dortmund’s organised groups reject the Red Bull structure and consider it incompatible with the traditional membership-based model of German football. Matches against Leipzig regularly produce protest messages, but the hostility is based on football politics rather than a historic rivalry between two established fanbases.
The Fight over Modern Football
Dortmund’s ultras and organised fan groups do not see themselves only as providers of atmosphere. They also attempt to influence questions involving ticket prices, club ownership, policing, kick-off times and commercial decisions. Kein Zwanni became the most prominent early example, but it was followed by several larger campaigns. In February 2018, tens of thousands of Borussia supporters stayed away from a Monday-night home match against Augsburg. The action formed part of a broader nationwide movement opposing fixtures arranged primarily around television requirements. Large empty areas of the Westfalenstadion made the scale of the discontent impossible to ignore. The Dortmund boycott became one of the most visible actions within that national campaign, and the DFL later removed the regular Monday-night allocation from the Bundesliga schedule beginning with the 2021/22 rights cycle.
The scene has also consistently defended the 50+1 rule, which protects the voting control of parent clubs and restricts the influence of external investors over most German professional teams. Borussia Dortmund’s own corporate structure makes the discussion more complicated because its professional football operation is publicly traded, although the parent association retains control through the club’s legal structure. For the active support, defending 50+1 does not mean pretending that German football is free from commercial influence. The rule is instead regarded as one of the remaining protections preventing clubs from falling under the complete control of private owners.
During the 2023/24 season, Dortmund supporters joined nationwide protests against the proposed DFL investment agreement. Actions included banners, coordinated silence, objects thrown onto pitches and match interruptions designed to delay play. The DFL abandoned the project in February 2024 after months of opposition and growing doubts over whether the process could continue successfully. The outcome demonstrated that organised supporter movements could still affect a major commercial decision when acting collectively across club rivalries.
Another confrontation followed Borussia Dortmund’s partnership with Rheinmetall in 2024. The decision to cooperate with an arms manufacturer created strong opposition among sections of the fanbase. Südtribüne Dortmund published a joint statement supported by more than ninety groups, while banners across the terrace criticised the agreement and accused the club of disregarding its stated values. Not every Borussia supporter opposed the partnership, and the issue produced internal debate. The Südtribüne should never be presented as politically uniform. The protest nevertheless showed that organised supporters were prepared to challenge their own club publicly, even when management defended the commercial decision.
Confronting Far-Right Influence
The history of Borussenfront and later far-right networks remains an unavoidable part of Dortmund’s supporter story. Neo-Nazi influence did not disappear with the emergence of the ultras movement. Far-right individuals continued attempting to build power within parts of the fanbase, while anti-racist supporters and fan workers sometimes faced intimidation and physical violence. The response has involved several organisations rather than one group acting alone. Parts of the active scene, the Dortmund Fan-Projekt, independent initiatives, the club and its Fan and Supporter Department have all contributed to projects opposing racism, antisemitism and right-wing extremism. Borussia Dortmund has supported educational visits to former concentration camps and projects examining the persecution of Jewish club members during the Nazi period. Anti-racist messages have also appeared through banners, publications and events connected to the supporter movement.
It would be inaccurate to claim that every ultras member or every person on the Südtribüne shares the same political outlook. The terrace contains tens of thousands of people with different backgrounds, beliefs and priorities. Nevertheless, visible opposition to far-right influence has become an important element of Dortmund’s modern supporter culture, particularly when compared with the period in which Borussenfront and related networks held greater influence around the club.
The Dortmund Scene Today
The Unity and Desperados Dortmund remain the central ultras groups within the current scene. They coordinate chanting, prepare visual displays, travel across Germany and Europe and participate in campaigns affecting football supporters. Their influence is considerable, but they do not create the Yellow Wall alone. The Südtribüne also depends on smaller organisations, traditional fan clubs and thousands of independent supporters who have no direct connection to an ultras group.
The wider structure of Südtribüne Dortmund makes collective action possible without pretending that the entire stand belongs to one organisation. The scene continues to change as new generations enter the central blocks, older structures disappear and fresh conflicts emerge over ticketing, commercial partnerships, personal data and police restrictions. Its future will depend on whether the organised core can preserve its independence while continuing to involve the wider terrace.
Dortmund’s ultras culture cannot be reduced to images of a full Yellow Wall. Its identity is equally visible in a returned derby ticket, an independent fanzine, a boycott of a European trip, the defence of the name Westfalenstadion and a banner directed against the management of its own club. The ultras organise the central sections, but the Südtribüne reaches its full force only when the wider terrace joins them.