''We can be proud of our fans!''

After six months and 19 days, fans were finally back in Signal Iduna Park. A crowd of 9,300 watched Borussia Dortmund's 3-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach in the opening game of the season. Despite the extremely short preparation time - it was only on Tuesday evening that the green light was given for a major event with up to 10,000 visitors - all hygiene measures in the stadium appeared to have been carefully thought through. All those in attendance behaved in an exemplary manner.

BVB chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke thanked the "fantastic crowd for their great support of the team" and simultaneously praised ''the very responsible attitude" shown by all those in attendance. "We can be proud of our fans!" he added.

Borussia Dortmund received considerable praise from both the public order office and the Lord Mayor for their efforts in organising the event: "Not only did the team play well, but the club as an organisation worked very well and created fantastic conditions," said Lord Mayor Ullrich Sierau, adding: "Spectators were not only able to experience a beautiful game, but also a safe one. Compliments to the crowd for their disciplined behaviour in every regard!". The atmosphere in the stadium was remarkable, with several TV viewers asking on Twitter: "Is it really that loud?"

When entering Signal Iduna Park, attendees adhered to both the set admission times and the social distancing measures. After the match, all those in attendance showed the requisite discipline when leaving the stadium. The local public transport authority reported: "Everything was very controlled even on departure. There were no crowded platforms or vehicles". About 1,000 to 1,500 attendees used public transport to get to and from the stadium.

The crowd of 9,300 fell slightly short of the permitted attendance limit of 10,000 . This was due to the distribution scheme set by the authorities. 75% of attendees had to be resident in Dortmund, the remaining 25% were allowed to come from other cities and communities in North Rhine-Westphalia. "This presented us with major logistical challenges. Unfortunately, we had to turn down many season ticket holders from NRW for this game," explained managing director Carsten Cramer, who emphasised, however, that he "fully understands" the requirements set by the authorities.

Borussia Dortmund would also like to express its special thanks to all employees of the public order department and all other temporary staff in the stadium, who registered for duty with only three days notice.

Boris Rupert