Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft,commonly referred to asVfL Bochum(German pronunciation:[faʊ̯ʔɛfˌʔɛlˈboːxʊm]), is aGerman professional association football clubbased in the city ofBochum,North Rhine-Westphalia.They currently play in theBundesliga,top-flight of German club football.

VfL Bochum
Full nameVerein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft e. V.
Nickname(s)Die Unabsteigbaren(The Undescendables)[citation needed]
Die Blauen(The Blues)[citation needed]
Founded26 July 1848;176 years ago(1848-07-26)
GroundVonovia-Ruhrstadion
Capacity27,599[citation needed]
ChairmanHans-Peter Villis[citation needed]
ManagerDieter Hecking
LeagueBundesliga
2023–24Bundesliga, 16th of 18
Websitehttp://www.vfl-bochum.de
Current season

History

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Founding to World War II

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VfL Bochum is one of the oldest sports organizations in the world, claiming an origin date of 26 July 1848 when an article in theMärkischer Sprecher– a local newspaper – called for the creation of a gymnastics club. TheTurnverein zu Bochumwas then formally established on 18 February 1849. In December 1851, however, the club was forcibly dissolved and banned by the Prussian provincial administration then reestablished on 19 June 1860 as the bochum gymnastics club. The club was reorganized in May 1904 asTurnverein zu Bochum, gegründet 1848and formed afootballdepartment on 31 January 1911. On 1 April 1919, the club merged withSpiel und Sport 08 Bochumto formTurn- und Sportverein Bochum 1848.On 1 February 1924, the two clubs from the earlier merger split into the Bochumer Turnverein 1848 (gymnastics department) andTurn- und Sportverein Bochum 1908(football,track and field,handball,hockeyand tennis departments).[1]

TheNazi regimeforced Bochumer Turnverein 1848 to merge with Turn- und Sport Bochum 1908 andSportverein Germania Vorwärts Bochum 1906into the current-day clubVfL Bochumon 14 April 1938. After the merger, VfL Bochum continued to compete in the top flight as part of theGauliga Westfalen.[1][2][3]

AsWorld War IIprogressed, play throughout Germany became increasingly difficult due to player shortages, travel problems and damage to football fields from Allied bombing raids. VfL became part of the wartime sideKriegsspielgemeinschaft VfL 1848/Preußen Bochumalongside Preußen 07 Bochum, before re-emerging as a separate side again after the war.[vague]Although they fielded competitive sides, they had the misfortune[tone]of playing in the same division asSchalke 04,which was the dominant team of the era. VfL's best result was therefore a distant second place in 1938–39.

Postwar and entry to Bundesliga play

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Historical chart of VfL Bochum league performance

Following World War II, the football section resumed play as the independentVfL Bochum 1848and played its first season in the second division 2. Oberliga West in 1949, while Preußen Bochum went on to lower tier amateur level play.[citation needed]VfL won the division title in 1953 to advance to the Oberliga West for a single season.[citation needed]They repeated their divisional win in 1956 and returned to the top-flight until again being relegated after the 1960–61 season.

With the formation of theBundesliga,Germany's new professional league, in 1963 VfL found itself in the third tier Amateurliga Westfalen.[citation needed]A first-place result there in 1965 raised them to the Regionalliga West (II),[citation needed]from which they began a steady climb up the league table to the Bundesliga in 1971.[citation needed]During this rise, Bochum also played its way to the final of the1967–68 DFB-Pokal,where they lost 1–4 to1. FC Köln.

In spite of being a perennial lower table side, Bochum developed a reputation for tenaciousness[according to whom?]on the field in a run of 20 seasons in the top flight. The club made a repeat appearance in the DFB-Pokal final in1988,losing 0–1 toEintracht Frankfurt.[citation needed]Relegated after a 16th-place finish in the1992–93 season,the team has become a classic "yo-yo club",[according to whom?]bouncing up and down[tone]between the Bundesliga and2. Bundesliga.The club finished in 5th place in the Bundesliga in1996–97and2003–04,which earned them appearances in theUEFA Cup.[citation needed]In1997,they advanced to the third round, where they were eliminated byAjax,and in 2004, they were eliminated early throughaway goals(0–0 and 1–1) byStandard Liège.

In the 2020–21 season, the club won the 2. Bundesliga, earning promotion to the Bundesliga.

In the 2023–24 season, the club was in a relegation playoff withFortuna Düsseldorf,however won 6–5 on penalties, after initially being 3–0 down in the first leg.[4]

Current

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Today's sports club has 5,000 members, with the football department accounting for over 2,200 of these. Other sections now part of the association includeathletics,badminton,basketball, dance,fencing,gymnastics,handball,field hockey,swimming,table tennis,tennis, and volleyball.

Players

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Current squad

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As of 30 August 2024[5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules.Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK GER Timo Horn
2 DF CRC Cristian Gamboa
4 DF SRB Erhan Mašović
5 DF BRA Bernardo
6 MF MLI Ibrahima Sissoko
7 MF GER Lukas Daschner
8 MF FRA Anthony Losilla(captain)
9 FW NED Myron Boadu(on loan fromMonaco)
10 MF NED Dani de Wit
11 MF GER Moritz Kwarteng
13 DF CRO Jakov Medić(on loan fromAjax)
14 DF GER Tim Oermann
15 DF GER Felix Passlack
16 MF GER Niklas Jahn
17 MF MKD Agon Elezi
18 FW GER Samuel Bamba
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF SVK Matúš Bero
20 DF UKR Ivan Ordets
21 FW PHI Gerrit Holtmann
22 FW GUI Aliou Baldé(on loan fromNice)
23 MF JPN Kōji Miyoshi
24 MF GER Mats Pannewig
25 DF EGY Mohammed Tolba
27 GK GER Patrick Drewes
28 MF GER Lennart Koerdt
29 FW GER Moritz Broschinski
32 DF GER Maximilian Wittek
33 FW GER Philipp Hofmann
34 GK GER Paul Grave
41 DF SUI Noah Loosli
GK GER Manuel Riemann

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules.Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK GER Niclas Thiede(atSSV Ulmuntil 30 June 2025)

Notable players

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Honours

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Domestic

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Regional

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Youth

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Individual

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League results

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Fußball-Bundesliga2. Fußball-BundesligaFußball-Bundesliga2. Fußball-BundesligaFußball-Bundesliga2. Fußball-BundesligaFußball-Bundesliga2. Fußball-BundesligaFußball-BundesligaFußball-Bundesliga2. Fußball-BundesligaFußball-Bundesliga2. Fußball-BundesligaFußball-BundesligaRegionalliga West (1963-74)Verbandsliga Westfalen2nd Oberliga WestOberliga West (1947-63)2nd Oberliga WestOberliga West (1947-63)2nd Oberliga WestLandesliga WestfalenLandesliga WestfalenGauliga Westfalen

European record

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Competition Pld W D L GF GA
UEFA Cup 8 2 3 3 15 14
UEFA Intertoto Cup 28 10 8 10 37 33
Total 36 12 11 13 52 47

VfL Bochum II

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Stadium

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Ruhrstadion

Ruhrstadion(also known as theVonoviaRuhrstadion under a sponsorship deal) was one of the first modern football-only stadiums in Germany.[according to whom?][citation needed]It was built in the 1970s on the traditional ground of TuS Bochum 08 at the Castroper Straße, north of the city centre.[citation needed]

The fully roofed venue's capacity is 27,599, including standing room for 12,025.[6]

Ruhrstadion

Coaches

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Current staff

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As of 21 October 2024
Name Position
Markus Feldhoff Manager
Murat Ural First-team coach
Sebastian Baumgartner Goalkeeping coach
Lucas Kern Fitness coach
Marius Kirmse Fitness coach
Benedikt Oppenhäuser Rehab coach

Coaches

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Years Coach
1938–? Georg Hochgesang
1953–1956 Emil Melcher
1956–1960 Herbert Widmayer
1960–1961 Fritz Silken
1961–1963 Hermann Lindemann
1963–1967 Hubert Schieth
1967–1972 Hermann Eppenhoff
1972–1979 Heinz Höher
1979–1981 Helmuth Johannsen
1981–1986 Rolf Schafstall
1986–1988 Hermann Gerland
1988–1989 Franz-Josef Tenhagen
1989–1991 Reinhard Saftig
1991 Rolf Schafstall(caretaker)
1991–1992 Holger Osieck
1992–1995 Jürgen Gelsdorf
1995–1999 Klaus Toppmöller
1999 Ernst Middendorp
1999 Bernard Dietz(caretaker)
2000–2001 Ralf Zumdick
2001 Rolf Schafstall(caretaker)
2001 Bernard Dietz
2001–2005 Peter Neururer
2005–2009 Marcel Koller
2009 Frank Heinemann(caretaker)
2009–2010 Heiko Herrlich
2010 Dariusz Wosz(caretaker)
2010–2011 Friedhelm Funkel
2011–2012 Andreas Bergmann
2012–2013 Karsten Neitzel(caretaker)
2013–2014 Peter Neururer
2014 Frank Heinemann(caretaker)
2014–2017 Gertjan Verbeek
2017 Ismail Atalan
2017–2018 Jens Rasiejewski(caretaker)
2018 Heiko Butscher(caretaker)
2018–2019 Robin Dutt
2019 Heiko Butscher(caretaker)
2019–2022 Thomas Reis
2022 Heiko Butscher(caretaker)
2022–2024 Thomas Letsch

References

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  1. ^ab"Historie".VfL Bochum official website(in German). VfL Bochum. Archived fromthe originalon 1 November 2012.Retrieved13 April2010.
  2. ^"Historie / Chronologie".VfL Bochum official website (soccer department)(in German). VfL Bochum. Archived fromthe originalon 19 August 2012.Retrieved13 April2010.
  3. ^Grüne, Hardy (2001). Vereinslexikon. Kassel: AGON SportverlagISBN3-89784-147-9
  4. ^"VfL Bochum's miraculous comeback secures Bundesliga stay".sabcsport.com.28 May 2024.Retrieved1 June2024.
  5. ^"VfL Bochum – Kader"[VfL Bochum – Squad] (in German). VfL Bochum.Archivedfrom the original on 25 June 2021.Retrieved23 June2021.
  6. ^"rewirpowerSTADION Daten & Fakten"[rewirpowerSTADION data & facts] (in German). VfL Bochum. Archived fromthe originalon 28 April 2011.Retrieved31 August2017.
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