Alfons Sikora played for Borussia Dortmund during their tenure in the 2. Bundesliga North, a period spanning from 1972 to 1976. The second division was then split into North and South regions, with BVB competing in the North.
Sikora began his senior career at 1. FC Mülheim in the 1972/73 season, followed by a move to Bundesliga side Rot-Weiss Essen for the 1973-74 season. The subsequent season saw him return to 1. FC Mülheim for what would be his final year as a professional footballer.
Hailed by Germany’s leading football magazine Kicker at the time as “The new Sigi Held”—referencing the prolific German international and BVB`s then-leading scorer—Sikora went on to net 22 goals across 117 professional appearances.
In the 1972/73 season, he was 1. FC Mülheim’s top scorer in the second tier with 12 goals. During that season, the club, now competing in the seventh tier (Bezirksliga), achieved a remarkable fourth-place finish in a league featuring notable teams like Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld, Hannover 96, and Dortmund itself.
In a re-published interview originally conducted by Ben McFadyean for BVB Fanzine: BVB Buzz in 2020, Sikora reflected on a less-documented era of BVB history—the time spent in the second division.
Sikora, who impressively earned an engineering qualification alongside his football career, draws parallels between BVB`s situation then and Hamburger SV`s recent struggles for promotion. He shares memories of playing for 1. FC Mülheim, one of the smallest clubs ever in the 2. Bundesliga, provides insight into the challenges BVB faced while based at the Westfalenstadion, and talks about competing against footballing icons like Franz Beckenbauer, Wolfgang Overath, and Uwe Seeler.
“When I joined BVB at 20, it was naturally a huge step up from the Landesliga, even though they were in the 2. Bundesliga,” Sikora recalled.
“I had been a centre-forward at VfB Altena, and we had just been promoted to the Landesliga when I received the opportunity to transfer. As a lifelong BVB fan, signing the contract was a dream. Honestly, I would have played for Borussia for free; to play for BVB and get paid was truly a dream come true.”
- You mentioned how excited you were to play for Dortmund as a young striker. However, it must have felt like a daunting task potentially replacing Sigi Held and joining a team with established internationals like Dieter ‘Hoppy’ Kurrat, Sigi, and Jürgen Schütz?
- The late Horst Bertram is remembered as one of BVB`s great goalkeepers, following in the footsteps of legends like Stefan ‘Stoffel’ Klos, Roman Weidenfeller, and preceding current keeper Greg Kobel. He was one of only seven players honoured with a testimonial match at the Westfalenstadion. What are your memories of Bertram?
- Manfred ‘Manni’ Burgsmüller, with 135 goals for BVB, ranks just behind Adi Preisler, Marco Reus, and Michael Zorc in the club`s all-time top scorer list. You were teammates at Rot-Weiss Essen. What memories do you have of him?
- You joined Dortmund in the 1972/73 season, right after BVB had been relegated to the 2. Bundesliga. The major BVB fanzine, Schwatz-Gelb, described this relegation in 2000 as ‘a fall from grace’. It took four seasons for the club to escape the 2. Bundesliga. What was life like at BVB during that time? What were the crucial factors in getting the club promoted?
- The City of Dortmund provided a loan of 300,000 DM ($100,000 at the time) in 1973/74, followed by 600,000 DM from future advertising revenues, which helped pull BVB back from the brink. The city was thanked with one of the first kit sponsorship deals – a symbol of the City on the front and `Dortmund` circled above the number on the back – novel ideas at the time, which were actually introduced by Kliemt. So, wasn`t he, in fact, successful?
- You were highly successful at 1. FC Mülheim, the club’s top scorer in the 2. Bundesliga-Nord with 11 goals in 1972/73. What was it like playing for arguably the smallest club in second-tier history?
- Hamburger SV, who were promoted at the end of 24/25, had been stuck in the 2. Bundesliga since their relegation in 2017/18. This was particularly tough for a club that had won the Champions League and is one of Germany`s most successful teams with six titles. Are there parallels between BVB`s situation in the 1970s and HSV`s recent history?
You mentioned how excited you were to play for Dortmund as a young striker. However, it must have felt like a daunting task potentially replacing Sigi Held and joining a team with established internationals like Dieter ‘Hoppy’ Kurrat, Sigi, and Jürgen Schütz?
“It was a profound honour to play alongside figures like `Hoppy` Kurrat. I cherish great memories of him as both a friend and a footballer – `Hoppy` was unique, few people embodied the spirit of BVB like he did.”
“Jürgen Schütz, in fact, was a star striker in Italy`s Serie A, having played for AC Torino and AS Roma. At that time, very few German players competed abroad.”
“Serie A was undoubtedly the financially dominant league in Europe back then. However, besides those experienced players, the BVB team in the 1971/72 season largely consisted of emerging talents like Ingo Peter, Friedel Mensink, striker Jürgen Wilhelm, and myself.”
“We were all just starting out. It might have been the 2. Bundesliga, but make no mistake, it was still Borussia Dortmund, and we young players fought relentlessly to earn our place in the team.”
The late Horst Bertram is remembered as one of BVB`s great goalkeepers, following in the footsteps of legends like Stefan ‘Stoffel’ Klos, Roman Weidenfeller, and preceding current keeper Greg Kobel. He was one of only seven players honoured with a testimonial match at the Westfalenstadion. What are your memories of Bertram?
“Horst arrived at BVB at the same time as I did. He was exceptional, a truly great talent. Bertram played 200 games for the club, staying until 1983.”
“He joined from Kickers Offenbach and made an immediate impact. Horst was considered a significant talent. Initially, he competed with Jürgen Rynio, the first-choice keeper, but he eventually surpassed him.”
“Horst became a fundamental pillar of the BVB team that climbed the 2. Bundesliga table and ultimately achieved promotion to the 1. Bundesliga in 1976.”
Manfred ‘Manni’ Burgsmüller, with 135 goals for BVB, ranks just behind Adi Preisler, Marco Reus, and Michael Zorc in the club`s all-time top scorer list. You were teammates at Rot-Weiss Essen. What memories do you have of him?
“Manni was an absolute phenomenon. He was the top scorer in the 2. Bundesliga with Rot-Weiss Oberhausen in 1984/85. I also played against Manni when I was at 1. FC Mülheim and he was at Essen. Manni learned significantly from my teammate and friend at Rot-Weiss Essen, Willi ‘Ente’ Lippens.”
“`Ente` was renowned for his `killer instinct` and also for being a wonderfully entertaining personality.”
“`Ente,` meaning `Duck` in German, got his nickname due to his distinctive running style, which resembled a duck`s waddle.”
“Lippens was relatively short at 5.7ft but kept the entire team amused with his jokes. However, on the pitch, he was lethal and possessed an excellent scoring record.”
“`Ente` was Manni’s mentor at Essen; they played together there for a decade. Manni absorbed all of `Ente`s` tricks, but his inherent instinct for goals was all his own. They were friends, and I learned a great deal from both of them.”
“I look back on my career with immense pride and gratitude. It was an honour to have played in a league alongside that golden generation in the early 1970s.”
“German stars like Sepp Maier, Wolfgang Overath, Franz Beckenbauer, and Gerd Müller. I competed in an incredibly strong second tier against teams like VfL Wolfsburg and Arminia Bielefeld, but also smaller clubs like 1. FC Mülheim, whom I represented during the zenith of that club`s history in the 2. Bundesliga-Nord.”
“A player I greatly admired and learned from, particularly regarding determination and commitment, was Holger Osieck. Holger was incredible, a true all-rounder as a player.”
Osieck later served as assistant manager for the German national team for eleven years, alongside Franz Beckenbauer. In 1990, Osieck and Beckenbauer guided Germany to the World Cup title at Italia `90. Osieck was famously always on the sidelines in his characteristic red sweater. It was truly inspiring to witness a former Mülheim colleague achieve such a high level.”
You joined Dortmund in the 1972/73 season, right after BVB had been relegated to the 2. Bundesliga. The major BVB fanzine, Schwatz-Gelb, described this relegation in 2000 as ‘a fall from grace’. It took four seasons for the club to escape the 2. Bundesliga. What was life like at BVB during that time? What were the crucial factors in getting the club promoted?
“In a word – the Westfalenstadion. One must understand that the 1974 World Cup was a lifeline for German football. The game was in dire straits due to the match-fixing scandal of 1971/72.”
“The 1974 World Cup [hosted in Germany] helped the sport regain its footing. As a consequence of the scandal, the German Football Association (DFB) penalized or handed lengthy bans to 52 players, including internationals such as Manfred Manglitz, Klaus Fischer, Reinhard Libuda, Rolf Rüssmann, and Zoltan Varga.”
Hertha BSC Berlin, Arminia Bielefeld, and Kickers Offenbach were also forcibly relegated to the second tier by the DFB as punishment for their involvement in the match-fixing.
“There was a tremendous loss of public trust in the game in Germany at that time. Attendances plummeted dramatically. Imagine, in the 71/72 season, at Borussia Dortmund’s final championship game against Preußen Münster, there were literally only 1500 fans present.”
“The main challenge was the club`s minimal transfer budget. Nine players departed, including all the well-known stars like Siegfried Held, Reinold Wosab, and Willi Neuberger.”
“They were replaced by relatively unknown talents such as Reinhold Mathis from Sportfreunde Siegen, myself, and Friedel Mensink from OSC Bremerhaven.”
“The players BVB signed had potential, but this period was far from `Die Fetten Jahre` (the golden years). Many issues stemmed from Walter Kliemt, the then-president of Borussia Dortmund, not being the right person for the job. He lacked the necessary skills.”
“Kliemt was a politician, whereas BVB needed a businessman capable of raising funds for the club. To me, it felt like the club lacked a clear vision. Thankfully, that era was eventually overcome with promotion back to the 1. Bundesliga in the 1975/76 season.”
The City of Dortmund provided a loan of 300,000 DM ($100,000 at the time) in 1973/74, followed by 600,000 DM from future advertising revenues, which helped pull BVB back from the brink. The city was thanked with one of the first kit sponsorship deals – a symbol of the City on the front and `Dortmund` circled above the number on the back – novel ideas at the time, which were actually introduced by Kliemt. So, wasn`t he, in fact, successful?
“Yes and no. Dortmund is a former industrial city that doesn`t possess the economic might of regions like Munich, which is Germany`s wealthiest.”
“However, BVB`s strength lies in the strong backing it receives from the entire region. In the early seventies, major local employers like the steelworks Hoesch and other large companies rallied behind BVB to help them navigate their first significant financial crisis in the 70s. That unwavering support remains Borussia`s greatest asset.”
“Undoubtedly, the City of Dortmund authorities were helpful, but remember, Dortmund had just inaugurated the Westfalenstadion for the 1974 World Cup, and the city needed a first-class team to play there.”
“The financial assistance came after two years when BVB were stuck in the 2. Liga. The City of Dortmund’s support was an act of solidarity typical of the region.”
You were highly successful at 1. FC Mülheim, the club’s top scorer in the 2. Bundesliga-Nord with 11 goals in 1972/73. What was it like playing for arguably the smallest club in second-tier history?
“A fantastic feeling. In Mülheim, we played in front of crowds ranging from 10-15,000 spectators. Players like Holger Osieck, Herbert Bals, Herbert Stoffmehl, and I were treated like local celebrities.”
“The Ruhrstadion atmosphere was electric, especially during local derbies against teams like Rot-Weiss Oberhausen or Rot-Weiss Essen. The club’s success acted like a magnet for the local community; they flocked to our games in huge numbers for such a small town – it was truly special.”
“As the club’s top scorer, the city authorities even recognized me with a personalized number plate that read: MH AK 1949 – representing the city, my initials, and my birth year. This was highly unusual in the 70s.”
“Somehow, everything just clicked at 1. FCM back then; we simply couldn`t stop winning. It was a shame the club was relegated in 1976, and only by a whisker – they were just one point away from 16th place which would have secured their survival. It was a truly special family club.”
“Despite suffering a career-ending injury, I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have been a professional footballer.”
“I had a wonderful career; I played for the club I idolized, BVB, competed in the best stadiums and against some of the greatest players in German football history. Imagine that, I even managed to qualify as an engineer while still playing professional football – something almost unthinkable in the game today.”
Hamburger SV, who were promoted at the end of 24/25, had been stuck in the 2. Bundesliga since their relegation in 2017/18. This was particularly tough for a club that had won the Champions League and is one of Germany`s most successful teams with six titles. Are there parallels between BVB`s situation in the 1970s and HSV`s recent history?
“Today, the game is purely a money-driven business. HSV is a club that has been in crisis for far too long. At best, they were mid-table since around 2012 and often on the verge of relegation in recent seasons before finally dropping out in 2018.”
“As BVB learned in the 1970s, it often takes something as impactful as relegation to truly grasp the scale of the task required to reform a club. Consider how many coaches Hamburg has employed: 18 in the last ten years; eighteen!”
BVB had nine different coaches during their four seasons in the second tier until Otto Rehhagel guided them to promotion in 1976 via a two-legged playoff against the champions of the 2. Bundesliga South, 1. FC Nürnberg.
“HSV is now back in the Bundesliga, but it necessitated a complete overhaul of the club to achieve it. This was also the case for Borussia Dortmund back then.”
“Promotion is a sweet reward, but it is the result of incredibly hard work and a bit of luck. Much like many things in football and in life.”
