"As successful as it has been for a long time"

Youth Development

Wolfgang Springer delivered his report on the Youth Development Division under the headline "As successful as it has been for a long time": "The development and support of talented individuals, and with that, the creation of teams which we then bring to a high level – we achieved this difficult balancing act perfectly in the 2015/16 season." By defeating TSG Hoffenheim 5-3 in the final, the U19s won for themselves "the ultimate prize in German youth development football, and in doing so, made us all, of course, very proud". Springer: "After the U17s became champions of their class in 2014 and 2015, we have now been able to do this in the highest youth class. The winning of the U19 West German Championship was never a given. Our team had to see off some exceptionally strong competition in the form of the other Bundesliga Youth Development teams."

The U17s got themselves through to the national final for the third year in a row after "clear victories in the semi-final legs against VfB Stuttgart, who had been their opposition in the 2015 final, but were not able to secure the hat trick, as, despite a dominant performance in the first half", they were defeated 0-2 in front of 7,000 spectators in the Rote Erde Stadium.

"It should not go unmentioned", said Springer, "that alongside the capturing of the title, our youth development mission was carried out, attested to by the Bundesliga debuts of Felix Passlack and Christian Pulisic." BVB were also the measure of all things in the U15 and U14 classes during the 2015/16 season in West German football. "Borussia Dortmund is simply the first port of call for any talented youths hopeful of going further." This is made clear by the 26 German internationals in the U15, U16, U17 and U19 age classes.

Handball

Andreas Heiermann's report was short and sweet: "We have established ourselves in the Bundesliga! We were promoted in 2015, we finished in sixth place last season and we reached the cup final in the Final Four in Leipzig." As well as high praise for the ladies in the first Bundesliga, there were also tremendous compliments for their allies on the board and a clear message: "Such achievements would have been unthinkable without the help of the volunteers and the training staff", as currently in the realm of youth development, "there is something growing which is simply gigantic", according to Heiermann: "All of the youth teams are currently playing in the highest classes." Nine national players in the A- and B Youth Sections underscore the amount of individual talent present.

Table tennis

The table tennis division has returned promptly for the current season to the Brüggmann halls. "We will now attempt to reestablish a good club life and to regain our previous strength after a one year absence due to the refugee crisis", explained division head Bernd Möllmann.

After an "emotional rollercoaster", the second league team managed to avoid relegation. "Only once we had reached the final phase of the championship were we able to decisively put distance between ourselves and late relegation candidates Fürstenfeldbruck, and, in eighth place in the table, fight our way up to safety. Erik Bottroff and Björn Helbing, who has left the club for Cologne, had a positive record overall this season."

The team came fifth in the Oberliga and Kirill Fadeev established himself as an emerging talent among the adult players. Fadeev placed as runner up in the West German School Championships and attained third place nationally. A total of six teams were represented in league competitions, from the second Bundesliga down to the second county league, which highlights the sport's widespread popularity. Furthermore, the senior team were in action and successfully so, as they defended the German championship title.

BVB Supporters Association

A "broad spectrum" of projects "as well as quality and sustainability" are important concerns for the Supporters Association. "Naturally, heavy emphasis was placed on important fan issues. There was consistent and intensive discussion with the BVB overseers on the subject of appropriate ticket pricing and distribution", reported division head Torsten Schild, who added: "I am confident that the results of this work will soon yield fruit for all the fans."

In addition to typical fan concerns, a heavy accent was placed on "anti-racism work" ("The values of BVB – tolerance, openness and respectful interaction with everybody – are to be upheld!") and also social engagement. "In cooperation with the Dortmund Children's Hospital, we are planning a special Christmas campaign at our information stands", announced Torsten Schild. He continued: "The lifeblood of a club like Dortmund is its history. For that reason, I am especially proud that we have been able to seriously intensify our cooperation with the BORUSSEUM."

Schild paid special thanks to the many helpers, and stressed: "You could callously dismiss these things as nothing more than everyday business. Doing so, however, would in no way be fair to the engagement in and relevance of such issues. Therefore, I would rather talk here, more appropriately, of pillars of support in our division. To summarise, it can be said: 300 volunteers are active in nine working groups for the BVB Supporters Association. Innumerable hours are voluntarily given up here in the service of BVB." (br)