Farewells, reinforcements, presentations: here's what happened at the BVB season opener

Timo Boll becomes BVB brand ambassador

Before the first team game kicked off, a table tennis legend was presented at the touchline of SIGNAL IDUNA PARK: Timo Boll is now officially part of Borussia Dortmund and will boost the presence of the Black & Yellows as a brand ambassador. Boll has participated at seven Olympic Games (winning multiple medals), won the Champions League eight times and also has claimed the title of European singles champion on eight occasions. He finished his active professional career just a few months ago and, at his own request, will complete an internship at BVB for several weeks that will help him get to know the club and its various areas of operation at home and abroad even better. He is now the fifth brand ambassador for BVB – and the only one without a past as a professional footballer. In addition to Timo Boll, Dortmund icons Karl-Heinz Riedle, Jörg Heinrich, Roman Weidenfeller and Patrick Owomoyela regularly spread the Black & Yellow message out into the world..

Team presentation Another highlight before the kick-off of the first team game was the presentation of the current squads of both the men’s and women's first teams. The Borussia women were first up and took to the pitch one after the other, where they waited for the men’s team. Both teams were greeted with rapturous applause from the fans – both wore the new BVB kit, and you can get yours in the online shop!

Minute of silence for Frank Mill The DFB-Pokal winner from 1989 died of the consequences of a heart attack in May. The BVB family, in particular his long-time storm strike partner Norbert Dickel, were shocked by the news. Frank Mill, 1990 World Cup Winner and bronze medallist at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, was only 67 years old. Before kick-off, players and fans honoured the BVB legend.

The first time in the new kit  The BVB first team wore the new home kit for the first time in the match against Juventus. The new kit has been available in the online shop and in all fan shops since Friday.

Farewell to Mats Hummels  A Black & Yellow legend has left the football stage: Mats Hummels has finished his impressive career . In his farewell, the centre-back played one last time for Borussia Dortmund in the season opener against Juventus. The former number 15 spent most of his time as a professional with BVB, playing in the famous Black & Yellow for some 13 years. There is a special farewell collection for Mats Hummels available in the online shop.

Donation drive The big Black & Yellow day kicked off with a number of activities for fans on Strobelallee – the most important one being the blood and stem cell donation drive. Every year, around 3,000 patients in Germany need a life-saving stem cell donation. However, not everyone with blood cancer can find a suitable donor. During the season opener in summer 2023, BVB launched a huge blood and stem cell donation drive together with other operations involved throughout the process of getting the blood to those who need it “Blut transportiert”, the stem cell donation unit of the Düsseldorf University Hospital, “Weg der Hoffnung”, “Gemeinsam gegen Blutkrebs”, the BVB foundation “Leuchte auf” and the BVB fan relations department. It was such a success that the campaign was repeated at this year's season's opener.