The only thing he can’t do is design kits: Dortmund’s new boss is a real go-getter and is doing BVB a world of good

Recent weeks have seen a flurry of negative headlines for Borussia Dortmund. The abuse scandal involving a former high-ranking official, the bitter public feud between incumbent Dr Reinhold Lunow and presidential challenger Hans-Joachim Watzke, and the team’s disappointing on-pitch form last season have all drawn scrutiny. Cramer has never sugar-coated these issues, bluntly stating that BVB did not emerge with credit from the affair.

Cramer made these remarks around two weeks ago, shortly before Borussia Dortmund introduced their new sporting director, Ole Book. The club’s swift decision to appoint an inexperienced executive from second-tier side SV Elversberg took many by surprise.

Book’s first appearance lasted just under 40 minutes. Cramer spoke twice during the event—and delivered remarks that had not been heard with such clarity for far too long. Taken together, they amounted to a telling statement about the ambition with which Cramer intends to approach his new role, and with which he has been working ever since he joined BVB in 2010.

“Over the past few weeks and months, we have shown that we are willing to muster a great deal of courage and are keen to make Borussia Dortmund even better,” Cramer stated. He then added that he was “not a big fan of always looking to the past, because looking back too much eventually leads to a stiff neck”.

Whether intended or not, the remark could be seen as a gentle dig at the often backward-looking Watzke, who has frequently cited the club’s decade-old successes instead of crafting a fresh, forward-looking narrative.

Following the departure of Sebastian Kehl, Cramer explained that the club aims “not just to press the reset button, but to launch a major update”. The father of four described the shock appointment as proof “that we at Borussia Dortmund have big plans”. He added: “I somehow have the impression that, in Ole, we’ve managed to bring someone on board who really represents the new BVB well. Ole is the missing piece of the puzzle – he fits perfectly.”

This is the gist of Cramer’s remarks. Almost halfway through a season in which Borussia are racking up points in the Bundesliga as they haven’t done for many years, and unlike in the two previous seasons are on the verge of comfortably qualifying for the Champions League, the club’s director is calling for a new BVB. This is certainly remarkable, and, given recent developments, urgently needed.

Cramer has clearly heard the familiar criticism that the club too often cooks its own broth, lacks creative squad building, and has seen its once-proud identity fade. Now, with the boss pulling the strings, changes are coming thick and fast.

The move feels both invigorating and inevitable. Cramer has always been a man of action: his unconventional career path shows he is unyielding, relishes a challenge and thinks progressively.

He began by selling table-tennis gear in a sports store, then moonlighted as the stadium announcer for Preußen Münster and Hamburger SV. Although he studied law, his passion for marketing and sales propelled him into professional football, where he has climbed the career ladder with steady strides.

Cramer is a persuasive salesman: not only is he gifted with words, he also shows genuine empathy and, unlike Watzke at times, never comes across as aloof. Since he arrived in Dortmund, the club has attracted an ever-growing list of sponsors willing to dig deep into their pockets. Dortmund’s annual turnover now comfortably exceeds half a billion euros, with a significant share coming from Cramer’s commercial divisions.

That growing clout has now propelled him into Watzke’s old chair. Since taking the helm, Cramer—who stood his ground amid fan criticism over a couple of unconventional shirt designs—has gotten to work with the same inventiveness he has always shown.

Cramer had barely settled into his role when long-serving Director of Communications Sascha Fligge was abruptly shown the door. In women’s football, his pet project, Cramer signalled BVB’s ambitions by appointing the highly decorated Ralf Kellermann as sporting director and recruiting striker Alexandra Popp. That was followed by the switch from Kehl to Book. Infrastructure is also being upgraded: the first-team training centre is being expanded, and the women’s section will soon occupy a purpose-built facility with its own pitches, adjacent to the men’s facility.

Cramer, who sees himself as a “catalyst”, aims to rekindle the buzz around BVB that characterised the Jürgen Klopp era—while ultimately forging his own identity. His bold, sometimes unconventional approach also extends to infrastructure: the men’s training centre is being expanded, and the women’s section will gain its own facility with pitches adjacent to the first-team area.

Ultimately, success on the pitch will be the ultimate judge. Yet the club’s ecosystem is primed for a new BVB—some supporters even crave it. Cramer signalled as much in an interview with Westfälische Nachrichten: “Our ambition is not to be number two permanently. To achieve that, we must have this hunger, this obsession with winning matches. Throughout the entire club. In every department. You can’t even lose a legends’ match when wearing a black-and-yellow shirt.”

Cramer now has two opportunities before him. In charge of a major club, he can implement long-overdue reforms and re-establish a clear, overarching vision at Borussia.

Last May, the large fan group Südtribüne Dortmund published an open letter that, despite the seemingly successful season finale, labelled the club “strategy-less” and accused it of “perpetually fixing the same old mistakes with the same old methods”.

Ultimately, Cramer will be judged on BVB’s results on the pitch and on how sporting director Book—whom he helped recruit—reshapes the squad. On a personal level, the unpopular and sceptical reception he has received from many fans gives him the chance to rebuild his reputation.

He is well aware of this and made it clear at Book’s presentation: “We must embrace change and take unconventional measures, which may involve bringing in new faces. That starts with me.”

Cramer’s start has been promising, and the coming months are already highly anticipated. His actions, backed by his words, have brought a breath of fresh air to the club. Much has been set in motion, and to build genuinely on the existing foundations, the pace must be maintained.

Click here to read article