Tuesday , March 19 2024

New Borussia Dortmund president Lunow conscious of great social responsibility!

A “resolute football traditionalist” has become the 18th club president in BVB history. “We must value and nurture our tradition,” emphasised Dr Reinhold Lunow after his election, promising: “We all want Borussia Dortmund to be financially successful in order to increase our chances of sporting success, but there are red lines that must not be crossed in the process!”

The 69-year-old sees himself on the same page with the management of the KGaA, for whom it is also indisputable “that the sporting or economic development of Borussia Dortmund must not come at the expense of our values or our identity”. Lunow emphasised: “We will make sure that the e.V. does not become an empty shell that exists only to meet the licensing requirements of the DFB. My colleagues on the board and I will do everything we can to ensure that the club remains an independent and active entity within the BVB family.”

With 168,163 members, Borussia Dortmund ranks among the world’s largest sports clubs. It should continue to use its popular appeal to make a greater impact on society. Lunow: “You fall in love with a club as a child, and that love lasts a lifetime. This is the reason for football’s great appeal – across all social classes. However, this results in a great obligation for us, for Borussia Dortmund, to assume social responsibility in order to work towards upholding values such as human rights, tolerance, diversity, inclusion, democracy and sustainability.”

The qualified doctor considers strengthening all departments of the club to be one of his most important tasks. “The preservation and success of handball, table tennis, the fans’ and supporters’ department and the football department, which includes youth football as well as integration sport and women’s football, is indispensable for me,” says Lunow. “If we want to value and preserve the identity of our club, the preservation of these departments is part of it.” Lunow also announced that new, digital ways of communication would be used to improve the exchange between club members and the board.

His words to his predecessor Dr. Reinhard Rauball were full of emotion. “You were a blessing for BVB, because in each of your terms of office, you were faced with the task of saving BVB. And you saved it every time! Without you, BVB would perhaps no longer exist, or not in the way we all experience it today.” Rauball and Lunow worked together for 17 years, with the former as president and the latter as treasurer. “The trusting relationship has turned into a warm friendship. It is not a matter of course that people on the board of one of the biggest sports clubs in the world work with each other in such a friendly and familiar manner.” As the first honorary president in the almost 113-year history of BV Borussia 09 e.V., the 75-year-old Rauball will remain available to the new president “as a friend and mentor”. “You have so much knowledge, so much experience, but also so much feeling and passion for football and for BVB. That must not be lost to us.”

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