VfB fan Jens Fritsch is about to undertake a special journey, returning to Germany for the first time in 10 years. Despite having set up home in New Braunfels, Texas, his heart still beats for the club from Cannstatt.
Jens first fell in love with VfB back in the 1991/92 season. He was thrilled by the sheer passion shown by the fans who had travelled all the way to Dortmund, as well as by the team out on the pitch. He took his commitment to the next stage when he began working in the VfB club restaurant in 2000, enabling him to get to know the players and the rest of the staff on another level, and cement his love for the club.
Fans around the world show their passion
Jens moved to the USA in 2007 and soon realised how much he missed the Bundesliga fan culture. It made him keen to bring a piece of VfB-flavoured home over to Texas.
With his friend Josh Jackson, he founded the VfB Central Texas official fan club (OFC), who meet up at Krause’s Biergarten for watch parties for certain matches. Those who come along proudly sport their VfB jerseys as they sing along and cheer their team on. Away from matchdays, the OFC also show their allegiance at events such as the annual ‘Wurstfest’ in New Braunfels, complete with German music, food and beer.
United by the red hoop
Despite being far away, Jens is always looking for ways to provide VfB with active support. A shining example of this came in 2022 when VfB played a friendly in Austin against 1. FC Köln. Fans from the USA and Germany came together for a weekend full of highlights, where new friends were made and a sense of community fostered.
Jens took his son Lukas with him to the open training session, collecting autographs, meeting Fritzle the mascot and getting to see the kit manager again, whom he knew from his time at VfB. And then came the match itself and a 4-2 win for the lads from Cannstatt in the first ever all-European clash at the Q2 Stadium.
Back home in Baden-Württemberg
The last time that Jens was back in Germany was in 2015, but he headed over to Stuttgart for a week in December along with his wife, to celebrate Christmas and see family, friends and of course VfB in the midst of their 2025/26 campaign.
The highlight was visiting the stadium for the Bundesliga match against TSG Hoffenheim. Even before kick-off, Jens met up with old friends and VfB fans in the VfB club restaurant before experiencing the special atmosphere of the MHP Arena once again in the Cannstatter Kurve. Singing and cheering together with friends made it an evening to remember. The encounter with the VfB fans at half-time also showed him once more what makes VfB so special: genuine solidarity and real passion.
