Key takeaways:
– Borussia Dortmund's global popularity shows that sustainable growth comes from amplifying a club’s identity, not reinventing it.
– Utilizing historical game footage is a great way to educate younger fans about an organization's heritage and tradition.
– AI-powered content creation platforms make identity-driven storytelling scalable across markets without increasing headcount.
Borussia Dortmund is having another great season. On the pitch, the black & yellow are ranked second in the Bundesliga, and are well-positioned to qualify for the round of 16 in the Champions League. Off the field, Dortmund continues to find new ways to engage and grow its global fan base, with the latest being a Spanish-language Instagram channel.
The new channel, @ElDortmund, is a natural extension of the club’s English-language accounts on Instagram and X, @BlackYellow, which have 8.7 million followers combined. According to sports marketing agency SPORTFIVE, which is responsible for managing @BlackYellow's, about 12% of the club’s English-language followers are Spanish speakers, with most of them coming from Latin America.
“The launch of @ElDortmund is a testament to Borussia Dortmund’s growing popularity around the world and specifically in the Americas among Spanish speakers,” said Marc Lingenhoff, managing director of Dortmund's U.S. office. “Given that some of soccer’s most passionate fans speak Spanish, we cannot wait to meet them where they are and engage with them in their native language as fußball meets fútbol.”
Local DNA, global fans
How does a football club from the 9th biggest city in Germany become so popular globally? Success on the field certainly helps. BVB, as Borussia is known in its homeland, has won five Bundesliga titles in the last 30 years, and is one of only seven teams to play in the Champions League each of the past 10 seasons. However, other European clubs have been just as successful, if not more so, as BVB during this time. So what differentiates the black & yellow?
It starts with identity. Nestled in the Ruhr Area, once the industrial heart of Germany, Dortmund is a blue-collar city – and so is its football team. According to Alexander Mühl, director of marketing and digitalization at BVB, the club's brand model is structured around four attributes:
– Intensity: our intensity creates an unparalleled football experience.
– Authenticity: a clear message that we don't pretend to be something we're not.
– Binding force: for many people, we are simply part of their identity, and we are very proud of that.
– Ambition: when BVB takes the field, we want to be at the top, or, at the very least, we want to be sure that we have given everything to be at the top.
The second key differentiator is BVB's ability to preserve the core of its brand and use it to attract new audiences. Or, as Mühl put it, “offering fans who have been proudly following the club for decades maximum identification, and presenting ourselves to young people and international target groups in such a way that they say, 'OK, that's interesting, I want to develop a connection there.’”
Making history feel current
Content plays a big part in developing these connections. Last April, for example, BVB and the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers announced an innovative partnership to further efforts in each other’s markets through content collaborations. The Steelers and BVB share more than colours; both clubs have strong roots in the coal and steel industries, and are known for their passionate fan bases, which is evident in every piece of content the partnership produces.
Another pillar of BVB's digital content strategy is its video archive. As a club steeped in heritage and tradition, it was looking for a way to educate younger fans about its history via historical game footage. In October 2024, BVB partnered with WSC Sports, whose AI-powered content creation platform enables the club, among other things, to provide fans with iconic moments from the past at ease.
WSC's ability to create platform-specific versions of each story was one of the main draws for BVB. “Legacy and tradition are definitely strengths. But the way you tell the story of that tradition has to evolve,” explained Mühl. “You have to make it relevant for younger target groups. It’s not just about what we post, it’s how we present it, where we share it, and who we’re speaking to. We’re following our fans’ behaviors to guide everything from channel strategy to editing style.”
Tech that protects identity
Forward-thinking clubs grow by leaning into what makes them unmistakable. BVB’s global appeal isn’t built on chasing trends, but on consistently expressing its identity across every touchpoint. By incorporating their values into storytelling, clubs can turn who they are into a magnet for new fans, meeting global audiences with content that feels real, not generic.
AI-powered content creation platforms make that approach scalable. By automating the creation, management, and distribution of multi-platform video content, solutions like WSC Sports help clubs stay true to their voice while keeping pace with modern consumption habits. For Dortmund, that means the same black & yellow DNA travels effortlessly, right through @ElDortmund, where fußball naturally becomes fútbol.
Actionable insights:
– Audit your brand DNA and codify it for content teams. Clearly define values, tone, and visual cues so every market, language, and platform tells the same story.
– Localize content where fans already are, not just where you want them to be. Use audience data to justify language-specific channels and tailor formats, pacing, and references accordingly.
– Activate your archive as an always-on growth engine. Use AI tools to surface historic moments, repackage them for short-form platforms, and educate younger fans at scale.
