1909 – The founding years

The journey from the club's founding on December 19, 1909, to the first official match was long. It took 392 days before the match against VfB Dortmund was kicked off on January 15, 1911. The first match in the club's history ended with a 9:3 victory.

It took over a year for the Ballspielverein to gain admission to the Westdeutschen Spielverband (WSV). Due to the numerous new foundations at that time, the association had imposed a ban on admitting new members. However, the path for athletics clubs remained open. The Dortmund football pioneer Walter Sanß (a member of the DFB board from 1905 to 1914) suggested initially registering an athletics department, which was admitted on June 19, 1910. Six months later, on December 3, 1910, the football department followed. Finally, on January 15, 1911, the first official match could take place at the "Weiße Wiese" on Wambeler Straße.

For the 1911/1912 season, BVB was integrated into league play. The first year in the third-class C-Class ended with first place and promotion to the B-Class. Here, some curiosities occurred. The club news reported:

Today, the BVB's first team played at home on the "Weiße Wiese" against VfB Dortmund. The brisk game ended 1-0 for Borussia. The winning goal was scored by Wienke. However, BVB's joy over the victory was short-lived. Alerted by players from VfB, the referee fetched a yardstick from the nearby farmer Wübbecke and measured the two goals. One goal was 22 cm too wide!

In 1914, Borussia was first class for the first time, but the opponents all came from the city area. The First World War formed a watershed. There were no championship games in 1915/16, and in 1917/18, BVB could not field a team because the players had been called up for military service. Nine of the 18 founding members, including Julius Jacobi, younger brother of the first president Franz Jacobi, did not return from the war.

Towards the end of the decade, the first club statutes were formulated, and on May 24, 1919, the "Ballspielverein Borussia 1909" was entered in the club register.

Tumultuous scenes unfolded last night during the founding of the "Ballspiel-Verein Borussia 1909" in the northeastern part of Dortmund. Over 40 members of the youth group of the Catholic Trinity Parish, Flurstraße, gathered at 7:00 p.m. at the restaurant "Zum Wildschütz," Oesterholzstraße 60, to found the "BVB" out of love for football and in frustration with Father Hubert Dewald, responsible for youth work at "Dreifaltig." Franz Jacobi, spokesperson and vice president of the new club, stated: "Since 1902, I have been a member of the Trinity Youth, and since 1906, we have been playing football at the 'Weiße Wiese.' Since 1906, we footballers have been systematically fought against and defamed by our church. We can no longer accept this. The club's founding is imperative." Father Dewald personally tried to prevent the club's founding. In vain. He and his followers were spectacularly and physically denied entry. Dewald's appearance led to over 20 "rebels" dropping out - leaving only 18 "true" Borussians ready to found the club. By the way, the name "Borussia" is derived from the Borussia Brewery in Steiger-Straße. The club colors: blue and white striped with a red sash (jersey), black pants. The new club will now seek admission to the Westdeutschen Spielverband.

In a surprising decision, the board of the Ballspielverein Borussia made today in its meeting at the "Wildschütz," Oesterholzstraße 60: Starting from next Friday, there will be weekly public member meetings to further involve the club members in the sporting events.

For example, during these meetings, the captains of the men's teams will propose and discuss the line-ups for the Sunday games. In case of disagreements regarding the nominations, the board has the final say.

Today, BVB's first team played at home on the "Weiße Wiese" against VfB Dortmund. The brisk game ended 1-0 for Borussia. Wienke scored the winning goal. However, BVB's joy over the victory was short-lived. Alerted by players from VfB, the referee fetched a yardstick from the nearby farmer Wübbecke and measured the two goals. One goal was 22 cm too wide!

The Ballspiel-Verein "Borussia 1909", Dortmund, a member of the Westdeutschen Spielverbandes, the Deutscher Fußballbundes, and the Deutschen Behörde für Athletik, has today adopted a binding club statute.

The purpose of the club is to promote public health through the cultivation of football and other physical activities. The statute also includes game regulations, which state, among other things:

• Unexcused absence from matches will be punished with RM 1,-. For tardiness, if there is no valid excuse, half the amount is to be paid.
• Leaving the field without the captain's permission will be punished with RM 2,-. Players must strictly adhere to the captain's instructions.

Players who do not comply with his instructions may be excluded from the game. In particular, smoking during games is prohibited. With this last regulation, BVB seems to be addressing a sore point in current game affairs. Recently, the association newspaper "Körper und Geist" wrote: "We take this opportunity to suggest to the lawn sports association to occasionally observe the referees. The writer of these lines had the opportunity a few weeks ago to attend a match where the referee calmly smoked his cigar. What impression did this behavior make on players and spectators?"