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| Full name | Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft e. V. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 26 July 1848; 177 years ago (1848-07-26) | |||
| Ground | Vonovia-Ruhrstadion | |||
| Capacity | 27,599[citation needed] | |||
| Chairman | Andreas Luthe[1] | |||
| Manager | Uwe Rösler | |||
| League | 2. Bundesliga | |||
| 2024–25 | Bundesliga, 18th of 18 (relegated) | |||
| Website | vfl-bochum.de | |||
 Current season | ||||
Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to asVfL Bochum (German pronunciation:[faʊ̯ʔɛfˌʔɛlˈboːxʊm]ⓘ), is aGerman professional association football club based in the city ofBochum,North Rhine-Westphalia. They currently play in the2. Bundesliga following relegation from theBundesliga in theprevious season.[2]
VfL Bochum is one of the oldest sports organisations 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 Bochum was 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 reorganised in May 1904 asTurnverein zu Bochum, gegründet 1848 and formed afootball department on 31 January 1911. On 1 April 1919, the club merged withSpiel und Sport 08 Bochum to 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,hockey and tennis departments).[3]
TheNazi regime forced Bochumer Turnverein 1848 to merge with Turn- und Sport Bochum 1908 andSportverein Germania Vorwärts Bochum 1906 into the current-day clubVfL Bochum on 14 April 1938. After the merger, VfL Bochum continued to compete in the top flight as part of theGauliga Westfalen.[3][4][5]
AsWorld War II progressed, 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 Bochum alongside 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.
Michael Lameck holds the record for most appearances with the club at the top level with 596 appearances between the period of 1972-1988. The player with the most all-time goals for VfL Bochum isHans Walitza, who scored 135 goals in 198 appearances between 1969 and 1974.The player with the most assists in VfL Bochum's history isDariusz Wosz, who recorded 82 assists in 383 competitive appearances for the club.
Following World War II, the football section resumed play as the independentVfL Bochum 1848 and 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 1–0 toEintracht Frankfurt.[citation needed] Relegated after a 16th-place finish in the1992–93 season, the team became a classic "yo-yo club",[according to whom?] moving between the Bundesliga and2. Bundesliga. The club finished in 5th place in the Bundesliga in1996–97 and2003–04, 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 onaway goals (0–0 and 1–1) byStandard Liège.
In the 2020–21 season, the club won the 2. Bundesliga, earning promotion to the Bundesliga, where they stayed for four seasons. In the 2023–24 season, the club was in a relegation playoff withFortuna Düsseldorf, winning 6–5 on penalties, after initially being 3–0 down in the first leg.[6] The following season, Bochum were relegated after a 4–1 defeat againstMainz 05 in their penultimate fixture.[7] Their four-year stay in the Bundesliga ended on a positive note with a 2–0 win away to St. Pauli.[8]
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.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Competition | Played | Win | D | Lose | 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 |
Ruhrstadion (also known as theVonovia Ruhrstadion 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.[10]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Uwe Rösler |
| Assistant manager | Alessandro Riedle |
| Goalkeeping coach | Sebastian Baumgartner |
| Fitness coach | Lucas Kern |
| Fitness coach | Marius Kirmse |
| Rehab coach | Benedikt Oppenhäuser |
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
