SAMSTAG 15:30

The ageing Rote Erde ('Red Earth' - an ancient name for Westphalia) was home to Borussia Dortmund for 37 years until a period of success in the 1960's meant that it had become too small to cope with the club's growing support. Fortunately, when Dortmund moved into the newly-built Westfalenstadion next door in 1974, the Stadion Rote Erde wasn't demolished and seeing the stadia side by side highlights the clear difference between the Borussia Dortmund of the post-war years and the football behemoth it is today.

Plans for the stadium were first drawn up in 1921 when the city of Dortmund appointed architect Hans Strobel to build a Volkspark (People's Park) with a showpiece sports stadium at its heart. Opened on 6th June 1926 with a friendly between a Dortmund XI and FC Wacker München (who spoilt the party somewhat by trouncing the hosts 11-1), the new ground was used mainly for athletics and also hosted the 1927 Katholikentag attended by future Pope, Pius XII. Football became almost an afterthought and it wasn't until 1929 that the first official match took place here when Hertha BSC beat FC Schalke 4-1 in a German Championship quarter-final.

Following the National Socialist Party's seizure of power in 1933, the German Labour Front (a Nazi-led organisation that replaced Trade Unions) began a programme of building large parks close to factories so that workers could relax, get some fresh air and stay in shape in order to remain productive. Dortmund's beloved home at the time - Borussia Sportplatz, which club members had built themselves in 1924 - wasn't far from the Hoesch steel mill and in 1937 the Nazis informed the club that the stadium was being requisitioned (without compensation) for a public swimming pool that wasn't built until 1951 anyway !

Dortmund were suddenly homeless and the only option on the table was to play at Stadion Rote Erde - 'on the wrong side of the tracks' as far as fans were concerned and miles away from the Borussia heartland of Borsigplatz. It was a move deeply resented by the club's members, many of whom suspected that they were being punished by the regime for historically representing a left-wing community.

Once football and dictatorship had managed to untangle after the war (during which the stadium was badly damaged by Allied bombing raids), led by club legends like Timo Konietzka, Siggi Held and Adi Preißler; Dortmund became a major force in German football during the 1960s and it was during this time that the Stadion Rote Erde played host to one of the most famous matches in Bundesliga history - the Hundebiss  (dog bite).

40,000 (some estimates put the figure closer to 50,000) had packed into the sold-out stadium for a clash against local Ruhrpott rivals FC Schalke 04 on 6th September 1969, and with hardly any room to watch the action, fans ended up standing on the running track around the pitch blocking the view of those in the stands as well as that of the Dortmund and Schalke coaches. After some chaotic scenes, the match got underway but things quickly got out of hand again when a Schalke goal just before half-time saw dozens of Schalke fans run onto the pitch to celebrate with their players. The stewards tried to drive them back but unfortunately their German Shepherd dogs were unmuzzled and Schalke players Gerd Neuser and Friedel Rausch were badly bitten. The game finished 1-1 and although they filed a protest, Schalke eventually let the matter drop - but not before their president Guenter Siebert had rented four lions from a local safari park to greet the Dortmund players onto the pitch at the next derby back in Gelsenkirchen !

Virtually unchanged since it opened, the Stadion Rote Erde is now home to Borussia Dortmund II (the club's Under-23 side) and its Ruhr sandstone, concrete and authoritarian construction breathes history - setting it apart from the steel and glass designs of new stadiums. The covered main stand with supporting pillars at the back is absolutely dwarfed by the massive east stand of the neighbouring Westfalenstadion (Signal Iduna Park) and the remaining sides of the low slung oval shaped ground offer concrete terraces open to the elements - which became an issue when the heavens above Dortmund opened up on our visit. 

The most vocal home support gather in the main stand, with away followings given a few seats in the southern end of the stand along with a couple of sections (Blocks 15-16) on the terracing opposite. The stadium is notable for the sandstone Marathon Arch at the southern entrance and a leafy beer garden which you'll find as soon as you come into the stadium directly behind the North terrace. A well-maintained synthetic athletics track around the perimeter sets the ends behind each goal a fair distance from the action and reminds you that this is first and foremost a track and field stadium rather than a football ground. Four floodlights stand sentry in each corner of the ground but fall well below the 3.Liga requirement of 800 lux and Dortmund need special authorisation from the league to play their matches here.

The stadium has attracted criticism in the past for its small capacity, lack of undersoil heating and general poor condition and in 2007 the decision was made to give it a new lease of life. A €1.65 million renovation took place over 14 months with work focussing on the main stand, the Marathon Arch and refurbishment of the historic stadium gates. The Stadion Rote Erde underwent another revamp in 2022 with work carried out to repair the running track and lay a new pitch complete with drainage and undersoil heating. A delay to the project however followed the discovery of two mine shafts directly under the stadium and because backfilling these with concrete took more time than first anticipated, BVB II are still having to use Signal Iduna Park next door as a temporary home.

The formerly unloved stadium is a protected building having been added to the 'Monument List of Dortmund'. Despite this however, Borussia Dortmund are considering buying the Stadion Rote Erde from the city council although negotiations about the price have been dragging on since 2014.

In addition to being home to Borussia Dortmund II in 3.Liga, the stadium also plays host to local clubs LG Olympia Dortmund, Dortmund LAC, LC Rapid Dortmund and TuS Westphalia Hombruch. It's also hosted a couple of international matches (Third Reich v Irish Free State in 1935; West Germany v Albania in 1967) and often reverts back to its original athletics purpose when it is licenced to provide a capacity for 25,000 spectators (as oppose to just 9,999 for 3.Liga football).

Other events held here have included the 1952 'Legendary Europe' championship boxing match between Heinz Neuhaus and Hein ten Hoff which was watched by over 50,000 people; and the German Gymnastics Festival (Deutsches Turnfest ) in 1990.