13. Sport history in the Ruhr Region

Origins:

• first appearance in 1780, name of a horse race, organized by the Earl of derby

• Origins in soccer: medieval (mittelalterlich) soccer game of two local matches is two rivaling clubs out of one region or town

  • out coming in 19th century: term was used for soccer matches of two rivaling clubs ihr of one region or town

• Today: term is used for town, regional and local derby’s

  • it also transferred to other sporting events like Basketball ice hockey

Special meaning and conditions:

• special symbolic and emotional meaning for the actors

• Derby only exists because of the fans the players and the club

• Derby gives fans an identity building

• Conditions:

  1. competition between two clubs at the same sportive level for a longer time

  2. Close references of the two clubs to the region they are living in

• 100 year old phenomen of two rivaling clubs

• Beginns in the early 20s at the same working class millieu in the coal and steal industry

  • produces the special attraction of the big Revier derby today in the mind of the fans and the press

• Situation:

  • confrontation and enmity agains solidarity and community

    • one hand: hate each other

    • Other hand: Ruhrpott feeling

• Lot of emotions

• 1934: back from the first German champion ship (Meisterschaft) in Berlin for S04: train drives through Dortmund central station, S04 fans and players were put out of the train to celebrate

  • players signed in the golden book

• 1935: Ernst Kuzorra became interrims Trainer at Borussia Dortmund because BVB tried to go up in the first class but they hadn’t the right trainer

  • Ernst Kuzorra: S04 national player and famous champion ship winner

• 1965: protest together agains KSC the final opponent of S04

  • unfair regulations in the shot goal for S04

  • BVB held up banners against the situation

• 1966: BVB Europapokalsieger: celebration in Dortmund and in Gelsenkirchen

• 1974: BVB Relegation in Regional-West -Liga, dangerous financial crisis because of building the new stadium

  • S04 organized a benefit match in the new stadium with 50.00 enthusiastic fans from Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen

Conclusion:

• sportive and fair competition without hostile enmity

Industrial crisis:

• coal and steal crisis 1960/73: financial support for football clubs disappeared

  • unstable conditions for S04 and BVB, changes in leadership

  • BVB 1972: regional Liga

  • S04: three ups and downs from premier to second league

• Lot of big emotions for fans, winning and losing gets a question of existence

  • extreme emotions and identification of the fans with the clubs in times of social uproar

  • Changing behavior over the times: from “Kuttenfans” to hooligans to ultras

• “Sporttainment”: derby gets a main subject in the newspapers, TV and online blogs usw.

  • derby is a construct and concept of media