VfL Bochum facts for kids
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| Full name | Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft e. V. | |||
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| Founded | 26 July 1848 (football department 1911) | |||
| Ground | Vonovia-Ruhrstadion | |||
| Capacity | 27,599 | |||
| Chairman | Andreas Luthe | |||
| Manager | Dieter Hecking | |||
| League | Bundesliga | |||
| 2020–21 | 2. Bundesliga, 1st of 18 (promoted) | |||
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VfL Bochum is a professional German football club from the city of Bochum, in North Rhine-Westphalia. The club is officially known as Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft. They currently play in the 2. Bundesliga, which is Germany's second-highest football league. They were relegated from the top league, the Bundesliga, in the 2024–25 season.
Contents
History of VfL Bochum
How the Club Started
VfL Bochum is one of the oldest sports clubs in the world. It began on July 26, 1848, when a local newspaper asked people to create a gymnastics club. The Turnverein zu Bochum (Gymnastics Club of Bochum) officially started on February 18, 1849.
Later, in December 1851, the club was closed down by the government. But it reopened on June 19, 1860. In May 1904, the club was reorganized. A special football section was added on January 31, 1911.
Joining Forces and Changes
Over the years, the club merged with other local sports teams. On April 1, 1919, it joined with Spiel und Sport 08 Bochum to form Turn- und Sportverein Bochum 1848.
In 1924, the football part of the club split off to become Turn- und Sportverein Bochum 1908. This club included football, track and field, handball, hockey, and tennis.
In 1938, several clubs, including the gymnastics and football teams, came together to form the club we know today: VfL Bochum. After this, VfL Bochum played in the top football league at the time, called the Gauliga Westfalen.
During World War II, it became hard to play football. Many players were away, and fields were damaged. VfL Bochum sometimes played as a combined team with other clubs. Even though they had good teams, they often played in the same league as Schalke 04, which was very strong back then. VfL Bochum's best finish before the war was second place in 1938–39.
After the War and Reaching the Bundesliga
After World War II, VfL Bochum 1848 started playing football again on its own. In 1949, they played in the second division. They won their division in 1953 and moved up to the top league for one season. They won their division again in 1956 and stayed in the top league until 1961.
In 1963, Germany created a new professional league called the Bundesliga. VfL Bochum started in the third division. They won their league in 1965 and moved up to the second division. From there, they slowly climbed up and finally reached the Bundesliga in 1971.
During this time, Bochum also made it to the final of the 1967–68 DFB-Pokal (German Cup) in 1968. They lost 4–1 to 1. FC Köln.
Bundesliga Years and European Play
VfL Bochum played in the top league for 20 seasons. They were known for being a tough team to play against. They reached the DFB-Pokal final again in 1988, but lost 1–0 to Eintracht Frankfurt.
After the 1992–93 season, they were relegated (moved down) to the second league. Since then, they have often moved between the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. This is why they are sometimes called a "yo-yo club."
VfL Bochum finished in 5th place in the Bundesliga in 1996–97 and 2003–04. These good finishes allowed them to play in the UEFA Cup, a European competition. In 1997, they reached the third round but were knocked out by Ajax. In 2004, they were eliminated early by Standard Liège.
In the 2020–21 season, VfL Bochum won the 2. Bundesliga and were promoted back to the Bundesliga. They stayed there for four seasons. In the 2023–24 season, they had to play a special playoff to avoid relegation. They won 6–5 on penalties against Fortuna Düsseldorf, even after being 3–0 down in the first game! However, in the 2024–25 season, Bochum was relegated after a 4–1 loss to Mainz 05. Their four-year stay in the Bundesliga ended with a 2–0 win away to St. Pauli.
VfL Bochum Today
Today, the VfL Bochum sports club has about 5,000 members. More than 2,200 of these members are part of the football section. The club also has other sports, including athletics, badminton, basketball, dance, fencing, gymnastics, handball, field hockey, swimming, table tennis, tennis, and volleyball.
Players
Current squad
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Notable players
Club Achievements
Domestic League Titles
- 2. Bundesliga (Second Division):
- Winners: 1993–94, 1995–96, 2005–06, 2020–21
- Regionalliga West (Second Division):
- Winners: 1969–70, 1970–71
- 2. Oberliga West (Second Division):
- Winners: 1952–53, 1955–56
- Verbandsliga Westfalen (Third Division):
- Winners: 1964–65
Cup Competitions
- DFB-Pokal (German Cup):
- Runners-up: 1967–68, 1987–88
Regional Cups
- Western German Cup (Second Division):
- Winners: 1967–68
Youth Team Success
- German Under 19 championship:
- Winners: 1969
- German Under 17 championship:
- Winners: 1985
- Under 19 Bundesliga West:
- Winners: 2004, 2005
Top Scorers from VfL Bochum
- Bundesliga top goal scorer:
- 1985–86 (Stefan Kuntz, 22 goals)
- 2002–03 (Thomas Christiansen, 21 goals (shared with Giovane Élber))
- 2006–07 (Theofanis Gekas, 20 goals)
- 2. Bundesliga top goal scorer:
- 1993–94 (Uwe Wegmann, 22 goals)
- 2015–16 (Simon Terodde, 25 goals)
League Results Over Time
European Competitions Record
VfL Bochum has also played in European tournaments. Here's how they've done:
| 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 (Reserve Team)
Home Stadium
VfL Bochum plays its home games at the Ruhrstadion, which is also known as the Vonovia-Ruhrstadion. This stadium was one of the first modern football-only stadiums in Germany. It was built in the 1970s on the same ground where an older club, TuS Bochum 08, used to play.
The stadium has a roof over all its seats and can hold 27,599 fans. This includes standing room for 12,025 people.
Coaches of VfL Bochum
Current Coaching Staff
These are the people who currently coach the team:
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Dieter Hecking | First-team manager |
| Marc-André Kruska | First-team assistant manager |
| Sebastian Baumgartner | Goalkeeping coach |
| Lucas Kern | Fitness coach |
| Marius Kirmse | Fitness coach |
| Benedikt Oppenhäuser | Rehab coach |
Past Coaches
Here is a list of coaches who have led VfL Bochum over the years:
| 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 |
See also
In Spanish: VfL Bochum para niños
