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The Exciting Rise of Borussia Dortmund
- Grace Gunn
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Few clubs in European women's football have experienced a rise quite like Borussia Dortmund. Since establishing their women's team in 2020, BVB have raced through the German football pyramid, earning consecutive promotions and establishing themselves as one of the country's fastest-growing projects.
Although the Black and Yellows narrowly missed promotion to the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga last season, their response has made one thing clear: they are not slowing down.
With experienced leadership arriving behind the scenes and several of Germany's biggest names joining the squad, Dortmund are making a powerful statement about their ambitions.
Building from the Ground Up
When Dortmund launched their women's team in 2020, the objective wasn't simply to participate, it was to build a sustainable pathway to the top of German football, just like their men’s side.
Beginning league competition in the 2021/22 season, the club entered the eighth tier of the German women's football pyramid. Whilst many newly formed clubs spend years progressing through regional football, Dortmund immediately developed a winning culture.
The results were remarkable.
The club achieved consecutive promotions in its first three seasons, climbing from local amateur football to the Regionalliga West, Germany's third tier.
Every promotion brought stronger opposition, higher expectations and new challenges, yet Dortmund consistently adapted.
Their rapid rise reflected not only the quality of the players on the pitch but also the strength of the club's long-term planning.
Last season looked set to produce another historic chapter.
After another outstanding campaign, BVB reached the promotion play-offs with the chance to secure yet another successive promotion and earn a place in the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga.
However, their remarkable run ended in heartbreak as they fell just short in the play-off final, narrowly missing out on promotion.
For many clubs, such disappointment could derail momentum, but for Dortmund, well, they have only treated it as motivation.
Experience Driving the Project
A key reason for optimism is the leadership guiding the Black and Yellow’s programme.
Head coach Markus Högner already brought significant top-flight experience, having previously led SGS Essen to an impressive fifth-place finish in the Frauen-Bundesliga despite working with one of the league's smaller budgets.
Now, Dortmund have strengthened even further off the pitch by appointing Ralf Kellermann as Sporting Director.
Kellermann is one of the most respected figures in European women's football, having overseen Wolfsburg's golden era.
During his time at Wolfsburg, the club established itself as one of the continent's dominant forces, winning multiple Bundesliga titles and UEFA Women's Champions League trophies whilst consistently competing among Europe's elite.
His appointment signals Dortmund's long-term intentions; rather than simply aiming for promotion, BVB are building the structures required to become a genuine force in German women's football and challenge the likes of Bayern Munich.
A Statement Summer in the Transfer Market
Despite narrowly missing out on promotion, Dortmund have approached the transfer window with remarkable ambition. Rather than consolidating, they have assembled one of the most eye-catching recruitment drives outside Germany's top division and have left the fans in awe.
The headline signing is undoubtedly Alexandra Popp.
A seven-time Bundesliga champion, two-time UWCL, multiple German Cup winner and long-time Germany international captain, Popp is one of the greatest players in German women's football history.
Her arrival is transformational, not only because of her quality on the pitch, but because of the winning mentality and leadership she brings to one of Germany's youngest projects.
For a third-tier club to attract a player of Popp's stature is an extraordinary statement of intent, and despite the striker’s age, her longevity is undisputed, netting 14 goals in 19 league games last season.
Dortmund have also secured the huge signing of former Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger.
The Austrian international arrives with experience at the highest level of European football, including winning the UWCL and competing for major honours in both England and Germany with Bayern.
Her presence adds proven quality, leadership and invaluable experience to Dortmund's squad whilst also providing stability and reliability in one of the most crucial positions on the pitch.
The club have continued to strengthen with the signing of Ricarda Walkling, who arrives from Werder Bremen. Walkling brings valuable Bundesliga experience and previously spent time with Bayern too, giving Dortmund another player accustomed to competing at the highest level of German football.
Defensively, the Black and Yellows have reunited an established partnership from SGS Essen by signing both Lena Ostermeier and Jacqueline Meißner.
Having already played together in the Frauen-Bundesliga, the pair provide experience, chemistry and stability to Dortmund's back line, qualities that could prove invaluable in another promotion push.
The calibre of Dortmund's recruitment makes their ambitions unmistakable.
Missing out on promotion has not caused the club to lower expectations. Instead, it appears to have strengthened their stance.
The arrivals of Popp, Zinsberger, Walkling, Ostermeier and Meißner, combined with the appointment of Kellermann, demonstrate that Borussia Dortmund are planning not just for another promotion challenge, but for long-term success in professional women's football.
Very few third-tier clubs can field multiple UWCL winners, Bundesliga champions and experienced internationals within the same squad. Dortmund can.
The Next Chapter
Only five years ago, Borussia Dortmund Women did not exist. Today they are one of the most ambitious and exciting projects in German football that cannot be overlooked.
Consecutive promotions, a heartbreaking near-miss in the race for the second tier, one of Germany's most respected coaches, the appointment of a sporting director who helped build a European powerhouse at Wolfsburg, and a transfer window headlined by Popp and Zinsberger all point towards one conclusion.
The club are building a team designed to compete amongst Germany's elite and if their progress so far is any indication, that destination may not be too far away.
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