Schippers: "Togetherness can make the decisive difference"

Following the win over Borussia Dortmund, CEO Stephan Schippers reflects on the return of fans and looks ahead at potential changes in regard to stadium capacity allowance.

Mr Schippers, 25,000 fans were in attendance for the win over Borussia Dortmund, slightly more than at the home games against Arminia Bielefeld (24,500) and Bayern Munich (22,925). What do you make of the return of fans?

Schippers: We’re very pleased to have had the support of fans once again for our first three home games of the season. Everyone could feel once again on Saturday that the dynamic of a football match is different when there is a real atmosphere in the stadium. I really think the support from the stands in all three of the games has helped us pick up two wins and a draw here at BORUSSIA-PARK.

You mention the atmosphere against Dortmund. How much did it help to pick up an important win on Saturday?

Schippers: In my opinion, it was massively important. We knew before the game that we were coming up against a strong side. But the game also had special conditions even off the pitch because of the return of Marco Rose. I think it was very important that the main focus was on supporting the team. That’s what we needed in order to defeat a side like BVB. This togetherness is what can make the decisive difference in such games.

For the upcoming home matches in October, fans are unable to purchase tickets as it is still unclear on how many spectators will be allowed to the ground. What are you hoping for?

Schippers: First of all, we’ve had very good and helpful experiences at the home games so far. Thanks to the support from many volunteers as well as the good preparation and early arrival of fans, we were able to ensure that the GGG (tested, vaccinated or recovered) regulation ran smoothly even with 25,000 in attendance. That will definitely help us if we get the chance to increase the allowed capacity once again soon.

Not only in the Bundesliga, but across all areas of life, a lot is currently being discussed about the 3G rule and the 2G and 2G-plus rules. How will Borussia move forward in relation to this?

Schippers: It’s still too early to make any concrete decisions. The current Coronavirus restriction measures for the area of North Rhine Westphalia are in place until the 8th October. We have to wait and see which changes are made when the new measured are announced and then decide what those mean for Borussia and the impact they may have on attending the stadium. If a larger allowance to the stadium is permitted, it may lead us to being able to release season tickets again, for example. At the moment, we’re preparing ourselves for different scenarios and want to inform our fans as quickly as possible.