The first-ever goal in the history of Bundesglia, Germany’s top-tier professional association football league, took place 63 years ago and had only ever existed in people’s memories. It was never filmed. Now, Vodafone and German football club Borussia Dortmund (BVB), have reconstructed the historic goal using AI, with a documentary, The Unseen Goal, created by Jung von Matt.
On August 24, 1963, BVB forward Timo Konietzka scored the very first goal ever in the Bundesliga in front of 35,000 spectators in Bremen’s Weser Stadium during a match between SV Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund – putting BVB up 1-0 in the very first minute of the game. No video footage or photos of this historic moment existed, until now.
It has been reconstructed from the memories of eyewitnesses, media reports, and data points using AI, that translated the goal into moving images – enabling football fans to experience the first goal in Bundesliga history in lifelike detail.
Teams from Vodafone and BVB worked for several months analysing archival material to help with the recreation. They spoke with eyewitnesses such as Gerd Kolbe, BVB’s chief historian and former press officer, Günther Konietzka, the goal scorer’s brother, and Eugen Kraas, chairman of the largest BVB fan club, Oeventrop-Freienohl, to incorporate their personal memories into the reconstruction of the goal.
The stadium atmosphere that day in 1963 was also recreated with the support of fans and experts, plus realistic conditions from the first matchday of the Bundesliga were simulated using multiple weather models.
The goal was launched in the documentary, The Unseen Goal, at the BORUSSEUM, BVB’s club museum on August 29 and later on the same day also exclusively on Sky Sports News and across BVB’s and Vodafone’s YouTube channels.
BVB fans at Germany’s largest football stadium, Signal Iduna Park, also will see the footage of the goal on the stadium screens before the season opener against Hamburger SV. The film documenting the goal will then be permanently displayed as part of the collection at the German Football Museum in Dortmund.
Marcel de Groot, CEO of Vodafone Germany, stated, “Together with Borussia Dortmund, we interviewed eyewitnesses, reviewed media reports from the time and collected a range of data. Our AI experts used this material and several AI models to create a realistic reconstruction of the moment. After 63 years, AI is bringing a piece of German football history to life. The first goal in Bundesliga history can now be experienced by football fans through moving images and sound.”
Hans-Joachim Watzke, President of Borussia Dortmund, added, “Timo Konietzka was one of a kind and a great player. His goal against SV Werder Bremen back then is, of course, particularly well-suited for a project like this. The fact that there is absolutely no video footage made the project very challenging. For many fans who are very tradition-conscious – and that’s certainly the case with BVB, but also with Werder Bremen – this AI reconstruction is an absolute highlight. We are very grateful to Vodafone for working with us to bring this challenging task to life with great dedication and using state-of-the-art technology. Everyone has a lot to look forward to.”
The reconstruction was created in collaboration with AI production company and IT specialists, PROMPTR, using motion models based on recordings of other BVB and SV Werder Bremen matches from that era, to determine the players’ game strategies and behaviour in comparable game situations. BVB’s under-19 team also reenacted the goal and the preceding sequence of play to help the AI achieve a high level of detail, richness and precision. Ultimately, the AI experts used various data points and multiple AI models for data analysis and image generation to recreate the goal. An essential component of the meticulously detailed production was the human-guided use of AI, overseen by expert teams from Vodafone, Jung von Matt and PROMPTR.
“I was very fortunate to be there in Bremen on August 24, 1963. Referee Ott blew the whistle at exactly 4:59 p.m. Everyone was sitting behind the BVB goal in high spirits, but things turned out differently than expected: Borussia Dortmund scored the first goal,” stated eyewitness, Gerd Kolbe, former BVB press officer and current BVB chief historian. “From today’s perspective, it’s absolutely unimaginable that not a single photograph of the goal was taken. I’m incredibly happy that BVB and Vodafone have managed to bring this reenactment to life. It fills a historical gap in German football history.”
The PR strategy, including the partnership with Sky, was developed with support from Jung von Matt SPORTS.
A campaign to promote The Unseen Goal, also created by JvM, is running across digital platforms, social media, and print ads in Germany, as well as through several soccer-related podcast integrations. Sky is supporting the project as the exclusive media partner.
Ads will appear on Signal Iduna Park on perimeter billboards and stadium screens. In addition, fans will receive a specially-designed newspaper in the style of an issue dating from 1963. This will be distributed at the season opener against Hamburger SV and will be available for free at Vodafone stores in Dortmund from August 31.
Fans can watch the full documentary on Vodafone and BVB’s YouTube channels.
