Development of the market and competitive environment
Sponsorships
In the 2023/2024 season, Borussia Dortmund once again enjoyed the support of its strategic partners: the two kit sponsors Evonik Industries AG and 1&1 Telecommunication SE, the equipment supplier PUMA SE and the holder of the SIGNAL IDUNA PARK stadium’s naming rights SIGNAL IDUNA.
The defence and technology conglomerate Rheinmetall AG will become a new Borussia Dortmund Champion Partner in the 2024/2025 season. The partnership will run for three years until 30 June 2027 and includes the use of wide-coverage advertising space, marketing rights and event and hospitality offers in the stadium and on the club’s premises. Sparda-Bank West will be Borussia Dortmund’s “Official Banking Partner” and new Champion Partner in the upcoming season. The partnership will run for at least five years until initially 30 June 2029.
The contract with the sleeve sponsor General Logistics Systems Germany GmbH & Co. OHG (GLS) was extended at the beginning of the financial year by a further year until 30 June 2024.
Borussia Dortmund also extended the contracts with its Champion Partners DEW21 Dortmunder Energie- und Wasserversorgung GmbH (until 30 June 2030), ROWE Marketing GmbH (until 30 June 2028), adesso SE (until 30 June 2026) and Hankook Reifen Deutschland GmbH (until 30 June 2026).
In the 2023/2024 season, the car dealership group Rosier Holding GmbH became Borussia Dortmund’s new Premium Partner and automobile partner. The contract expires on 30 June 2028. In the 2024/2025 season, Funstage GmbH, which operates the StarGames online platform, will also join Borussia Dortmund as a Premium Partner (contract runs until 30 June 2027).
In addition, the contracts with the Premium Partners Workday Limited, Coinbase Germany GmbH, Rügenwalder Mühle Carl Müller GmbH & Co. KG and APOTAL Bad Apotheke were all extended at the beginning of the financial year by a further year, until 30 June 2024 in each case.
PRIME, the brainchild of influencers KSI and Logan Paul, and its flagship product Prime Hydration energy drink are now Borussia Dortmund’s official hydration partner. The parties signed a long-term contract until 30 June 2027.
In March 2024, the solar solutions provider Solax Power Europe GmbH and the snack company Mondelēz Deutschland Services GmbH & Co. KG became new Borussia Dortmund partners, with both having signed a contract until 30 June 2026.
Transfer deals
Jude Bellingham transferred to the Spanish club, Real Madrid, with effect as at 1 July 2023 (see ad hoc disclosure dated 7 June 2023). Thorgan Hazard moved on to Belgian record titleholders RSC Anderlecht. During the 2023/2024 winter transfer window, the youth player Hendry Blank transferred to current league titleholders FC Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. Julian Rijkhoff joined first-division Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam. United States international Giovanni Reyna signed an early contract extension until 30 June 2026. He was loaned to Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League for the second half of the 2023/2024 season. Soumaïla Coulibaly spent the entire 2023/2024 season on loan at Royal Antwerp FC in Belgium.
Capital expenditure
In the summer of 2023, Germany international Felix Nmecha from VfL Wolfsburg, Germany international Niclas Füllkrug from SV Werder Bremen and Austria international Marcel Sabitzer from FC Bayern Munich joined Borussia Dortmund. Algeria international Ramy Bensebaini also joined Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer.
Team news
During the winter transfer window, Borussia Dortmund signed the players Ian Maatsen and Jadon Sancho on loan until the end of the 2023/2024 season.
Borussia Dortmund signed early contract extensions with the players Emre Can (until 30 June 2026), Gregor Kobel and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (in each case until 30 June 2028). The youth players Kjell Wätjen and Cole Campbell signed to the senior team.
In July 2023, the contract between Borussia Dortmund and Nico Schulz was terminated early. The contract with Belgium international Thomas Meunier, whose contract was set to expire on 30 June 2024, was also terminated prematurely in February 2024.
Borussia Dortmund did not extend its contracts with the players Marco Reus, Mats Hummels, Marius Wolf and Mateu Morey, which were all set to expire on 30 June 2024.
TV Marketing
DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH has informed the clubs of the first and second Bundesliga divisions about the expected distribution volume (totalling approximately EUR 1.40 billion; 2023/2024: EUR 1.35 billion) and the corresponding payout dates for the 2024/2025 season. This season is the last of the four seasons for which the TV rights were granted (2021/2022 to 2024/2025). The clubs had expected income averaging EUR 1.1 billion for these four seasons, corresponding to EUR 4.4 billion in total. The distribution of the TV marketing income was resolved in December 2020. In light of the decline in income from national media rights, the consolidation being seen on international markets and the significant decrease in revenue at the club level during the COVID-19 pandemic, the objective of the distribution system is primarily to ensure stability, while setting the course for the future and promoting solidarity for the clubs at the same time. This offers Bundesliga clubs a solid planning basis. Nevertheless, seasons without interruptions as well as timely payments by partners in line with their contracts are essential for ensuring the amount and timing of the envisaged distribution payouts. On 1 July 2023, DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH and the German Football Association (DFB) entered into an agreement setting out the rights and duties of the two organisations that will expire on 30 June 2029. The agreement clearly defines the financial arrangement between the two organisations and thus also indirectly between the clubs of the first and second Bundesliga divisions, and provides long-term planning security.
After the DFL Members Assembly initially adopted a resolution in December 2023 to enter into a strategic marketing partnership at the league level, the DFL Executive Committee of DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga e.V., due in part to fan protests, unanimously resolved at its extraordinary meeting on 21 February 2024 to not continue the process of entering into a strategic marketing partnership. However, all 36 clubs of the first and second Bundesliga divisions fundamentally agree on the need to implement reforms in order to drive forward digitalisation and internationalisation so as to leverage additional growth opportunities. How these reforms will be financed and implemented remains to be seen. The tender for the TV rights for the 2025/2026 to 2028/2029 seasons is currently underway.
UEFA also informed the clubs participating in the UEFA Champions League about the expected income distribution from the competition, which will total approximately EUR 2.47 billion in the 2024/2025 season (2023/2024: EUR 2.03 billion). Having qualified for the UEFA Champions League, Borussia Dortmund will receive a portion of the lucrative disbursements. For the 2024/2025 season, the UEFA Champions League will also follow a new format. A total of 36 teams will play eight matches in a single league phase, signalling a departure from the six matches played under the current format’s 32-team group stage. The top eight finishers will advance to the round of 16, while the teams finishing in 9th to 24th place will compete in a play-off round to determine who will be the other eight sides in the round of 16. From the upcoming season onwards, UEFA will divide the aforementioned total distribution amount into three pillars: starting fee; performance-related fixed amounts; and value pillar.
Match operations
In financial year 2023/2024, Borussia Dortmund played all of its 24 Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League and DFB Cup home matches to nearly sell-out crowds. Ticket proceeds and income from catering during the current financial year increased due to the fact that the club hosted three home matches more than in the previous year. Borussia Dortmund also expects no restrictions on its ability to generate income from match operations and catering during the upcoming financial year. Season tickets for the following 2024/2025 season went on sale as usual at the end of the financial year and were once again capped at the customary limit of 55,000.
Other
On 8 January 2024, Hans-Joachim Watzke, Chairman of the Management of Borussia Dortmund informed the Executive Committee of the Advisory Board of Borussia Dortmund Geschäftsführungs-GmbH, chaired by President Dr Reinhold Lunow, that he would not renew his managing director service agreement, which is set to expire at the end of 2025, and would step down as managing director in the autumn of 2025. On 1 May 2024, Lars Ricken, the former director of the Youth Academy, was appointed Borussia Dortmund’s Managing Director for Sport. His contract is set to expire on 30 June 2027. In connection with Mr Ricken’s appointment as managing director, the contracts of the two other managing directors Thomas Treß and Carsten Cramer were also extended until 30 June 2027.
On 1 May 2024, Sven Mislintat was appointed Technical Director and will focus in particular on squad planning. He reports directly to Managing Director for Sport Lars Ricken and Sporting Director Sebastian Kehl. Thomas Broich will become the Youth Academy’s new Sporting Director in the 2024/2025 season.
Nuri Sahin (previously Head of Football at the Turkish first-division club Antalyaspor) and Sven Bender (previously assistant coach for the U17 German national team) were assistant coaches to head coach Edin Terzić from 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2024. The previous assistant coach Armin Reutershahn left at his own request. Nuri Sahin took over as head coach for the 2024/2025 season, signing a contract that runs until 30 June 2027 after Edin Terzić left Borussia Dortmund at his own request at the end of the 2023/2024 season. Nuri Sahin’s assistant coaches are João Tralhão, Ertuğrul Arslan and Łukasz Piszczek. The previous assistant coaches Sven Bender and Sebastian Geppert left on 30 June 2024. Mathias Schiele will replace Otto Addo as the new personal coach for top talents in the coming season.
In the summer of 2025, Borussia Dortmund will compete at the FIFA Club World Cup. The format of the competition, which will be held from 15 June to 13 July 2025 in the United States, has been expanded and will include 32 teams for the first time.
Between 24 July and 3 August 2023, Borussia Dortmund spent a part of its pre-season in the USA. Friendly matches were played against San Diego Loyal SC (6–0 in San Diego), Manchester United (3–2 in Las Vegas) and Chelsea FC (1–1 in Chicago).
Borussia Dortmund travelled to Thailand and Japan as part of its Asia tour between 19 July and 25 July 2024.
Borussia Dortmund’s SIGNAL IDUNA PARK was one of the ten venues for the UEFA EURO 24. Since the tournament was held in June and July 2024, the income from those matches was generated in financial years 2023/2024 and 2024/2025.
Borussia Dortmund celebrated SIGNAL IDUNA PARK’s (formerly Westfalenstadion) 50th anniversary in a number of ways, including by selling a special edition kit.
Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA’s shares were once again listed in the SDAX with effect from 25 July 2023, after having already been traded there between 2014 and 2021. The SDAX is a performance index that includes the 70 largest companies in the MDAX.
In the third quarter of financial year 2023/2024, Borussia Dortmund entered into a purchase agreement to expand the training ground in Dortmund-Brackel, the transfer of ownership of which was completed in Q4 2023/2024. The West catering annex at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK was commissioned during the 2023/2024 financial year.
In October 2023, Borussia Dortmund published its seventh Sustainability Report* entitled “United by Borussia! Borussia leads the way!” at www.bvb.de/verantwortung. Borussia Dortmund will publish the eighth Sustainability Report* at the same time as this Annual Report at the end of September 2024.
* In accordance with the statutory requirements, the Sustainability Report does not fall under the scope of Deloitte GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft’s audit of the consolidated and annual financial statements.