Cheers to Kevin & Toto…
The hardcore BVB fans who created their own Yellow Wall in Mexico City…
In 1997, when Borussia Dortmund lifted their first Uefa Champions league title, Toto and Kevin remember the excitement they felt at the time, but also the isolation.
They had always bragged to their schoolmates about this mighty Yellow and Black club from Germany, but no one supported them, or could even name a single player. For them, “It made going back to Germany into a sort of wonderland where we were away from school, away from the chaos of the city, and most importantly, in a place where everyone shared our passion”. It's this nostalgia for a feeling of connection and community, which simply didn't exist back home.
Over the years, they would accumulate a collection of Borussia Dortmund memorabilia, fanzines, and newspaper clippings sent from family back home, where Toto in particular would cultivate his passion and knowledge around the club.
“Growing up, it was as if no one in Mexico could have any Borussia Dortmund items but me. I would scour the country’s flea markets and shops to find anything Borussia Dortmund, and hoard it all for myself. It became an obsession”.
Eventually something changed, when 20 years ago, after getting an official sanction from Borussia Dortmund, Kevin and Toto managed to establish a fanclub in their hometown. It initially began with a few friends watching games, but over time, also through the support of the club, they created a clubhouse, and a football school.
“Watching the Champions League in Mexico isn't so easy because it's in the middle of the work day, but lately we are getting around 200 people, even if it's only to watch one half or a few minutes '.
“We see Borussia Dortmund, not just as a passion, but as a way of life, to follow Borussia is not just about bleeding the Yellow and Black, but about embracing the values of the team, no matter how far you are from the Signal Iduna Stadium.”
Amongst the beautiful foliage of Mexico city, Borussia Dortmund flags and scarves draped from every corner of the compound, the space the Kevin and Toto have curated is incredible. Kevin, a biologist, has used the football school to teach the community about sustainability and environmentalism, even creating a greenhouse to teach families that join their community about water conservation.
“We see Borussia Dortmund, not just as a passion, but as a way of life, to follow Borussia is not just about bleeding the Yellow and Black, but about embracing the values of the team, no matter how far you are from the Signal Iduna Stadium.”
Kevin and Toto are the demonstration of how a football club can inspire more than just a sense of belonging, but also how it can become a tool to better one’s own community, and in doing so finding their space within it. The Borussia Dortmund fanclub of Mexico City, is not just another fanclub, but a family, who over the years, have not only built their own yellow wall, but also a community that reflects its values.