![]() ![]() ![]() They were set up by enthusiasts to serve a local community. Until that point, all German clubs had followed the same format. Though it’s perhaps not quite so shocking given that Germany was the last halfway-important footballing country to legalise professionalism and form a nationwide league, the Bundesliga, which came into being only in 1963. The idea that football is not a business and that football clubs are not part of the entertainment industry still permeates the German game to an astonishing degree. Until the 21st century – and this is not a typo – even the biggest and richest German teams were essentially amateur clubs run by volunteers. However, copying the German model is complicated because its clubs are such strange beasts, for two reasons: history and culture. So, wouldn’t the world of football be a much better place if more countries simply adopted this model? Indeed, Boris Johnson has already made noises about putting fans in greater control of the game while announcing plans for a review into how football is run in England. Suffice to say that the Bundesliga has just scrapped its lucrative Monday-night fixtures because of protests from supporters. The clubs are often, though not entirely correctly, referred to as “fan-owned”, which is widely interpreted as one of the key reasons why the Bundesliga is by far the most fan-friendly of the bigger leagues. Without knowing the intricacies, most football fans will be aware that German clubs are not owned by companies or individuals, which is why there are no American billionaires, Russian oligarchs or Gulf states involved (only Austrian entrepreneurs, but more about that in a minute). It’s unusual because it’s all about having your cake and eating it. What would be a peculiar way to run a business in any other walk of life is possible in German football because of the country’s unusual club model. However, they weren’t even informed, let alone consulted. You would think that at least some of Dortmund’s thousands of shareholders might be interested in a scheme promising huge profit. ![]() That’s because Dortmund are the only major German club listed on the stock exchange.
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