VfL Bochum

Full name	Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft e. V.
Nickname(s)	Die Unabsteigbaren (The Undescendables)[citation needed] Die Blauen (The Blues)[citation needed]
Founded	26 July 1848; 176 years ago (1848-07-26) (football department 1911)
Ground	Vonovia-Ruhrstadion
Capacity	27,599[citation needed]
Chairman	Hans-Peter Villis[citation needed]
Manager	Dieter Hecking
League	Bundesliga
2023–24	Bundesliga, 16th of 18
Website	vfl-bochum.de
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as VfL Bochum (German pronunciation: [faʊ̯ʔɛfˌʔɛl ˈboːxʊm] ^ⓘ), is a German professional association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. They currently play in the Bundesliga, top-flight of German club football.

VfL Bochum is one of the oldest sports organizations in the world, claiming an origin date of 26 July 1848 when an article in the Märkischer Sprecher – a local newspaper – called for the creation of a gymnastics club. The Turnverein 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 reorganized in May 1904 as Turnverein zu Bochum, gegründet 1848 and formed a football department on 31 January 1911. On 1 April 1919, the club merged with Spiel und Sport 08 Bochum to form Turn- und Sportverein Bochum 1848. On 1 February 1924, the two clubs from the earlier merger split into the Bochumer Turnverein 1848 (gymnastics department) and Turn- und Sportverein Bochum 1908 (football, track and field, handball, hockey and tennis departments).^[1]

The Nazi regime forced Bochumer Turnverein 1848 to merge with Turn- und Sport Bochum 1908 and Sportverein Germania Vorwärts Bochum 1906 into the current-day club VfL Bochum on 14 April 1938. After the merger, VfL Bochum continued to compete in the top flight as part of the Gauliga Westfalen.^[1][2][3]

As World 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 side Kriegsspielgemeinschaft 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 as Schalke 04, which was the dominant team of the era. VfL's best result was therefore a distant second place in 1938–39.

Following World War II, the football section resumed play as the independent VfL 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 the Bundesliga, 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 the 1967–68 DFB-Pokal, where they lost 1–4 to 1. 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 in 1988, losing 0–1 to Eintracht Frankfurt.^{[citation needed]} Relegated after a 16th-place finish in the 1992–93 season, the team has become a classic "yo-yo club",^{[according to whom?]} bouncing up and down^[tone] between the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. The club finished in 5th place in the Bundesliga in 1996–97 and 2003–04, which earned them appearances in the UEFA Cup.^{[citation needed]} In 1997, they advanced to the third round, where they were eliminated by Ajax, and in 2004, they were eliminated early through away goals (0–0 and 1–1) by Standard 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 with Fortuna Düsseldorf, however won 6–5 on penalties, after initially being 3–0 down in the first leg.^[4]

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 include athletics, badminton, basketball, dance, fencing, gymnastics, handball, field hockey, swimming, table tennis, tennis, and volleyball.

As of 30 August 2024^[5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. 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 from Monaco) 10 MF  NED Dani de Wit 11 MF  GER Moritz Kwarteng 13 DF  CRO Jakov Medić (on loan from Ajax) 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 from Nice) 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

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  GER Niclas Thiede (at SSV Ulm until 30 June 2025)

• 2. Bundesliga (II): 1993–94, 1995–96, 2005–06, 2020–21
• Regionalliga West (II): 1969–70, 1970–71
• 2. Oberliga West (II): 1952–53, 1955–56
• Verbandsliga Westfalen (III): 1964–65

• DFB-Pokal
  • Runners-up: 1967–68, 1987–88

• Western German Cup (II): 1967–68^{[citation needed]}

• German Under 19 championship: 1969^{[citation needed]}
• German Under 17 championship: 1985^{[citation needed]}
• Under 19 Bundesliga West: 2004,^{[citation needed]} 2005^{[citation needed]}

• Bundesliga top goal scorer: 1985–86 (Stefan Kuntz, 22 goals),^{[citation needed]} 2002–03 (Thomas Christiansen, 21 goals (w/Giovane Élber)),^{[citation needed]} 2006–07 (Theofanis Gekas, 20 goals)^{[citation needed]}
• 2. Bundesliga top goal scorer: 1993–94 (Uwe Wegmann, 22 goals),^{[citation needed]} 2015–16 (Simon Terodde, 25 goals)^{[citation needed]}

Ruhrstadion (also known as the Vonovia 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.^[6]

As of 4 November 2024

• Official website
• The Abseits Guide to German Soccer
• fussball.com
• vfl-bochum.pl (archived 27 September 2007)