Despite being relegated from the Bundesliga, VfL Bochum posted a record profit last season. A forecast for the current season is already available.

Despite being relegated from the Bundesliga, VfL Bochum generated more revenue last season than ever before. VfL Managing Director Ilja Kaenzig announced this on Tuesday evening at the club’s general meeting.

Revenue for the past season totaled just over 96 million euros. Overall, VfL posted a profit of 6.45 million euros, after club officials had originally expected a surplus of only one million euros.

The profit was attributed, among other things, to the club saving on the salaries of former coaches Thomas Letsch and Peter Zeidler following the termination of their contracts during the season. Additionally, streaming provider DAZN made a substantial back payment. The sale of the stadium center to the municipal holding company also contributed to the surplus. Relegation also played a role, as VfL had to pay its players fewer points-based bonuses and no relegation-avoidance bonuses at all.

However, relegation to the 2. Bundesliga will have a significant impact on the current fiscal year (July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026). Revenue is set to drop significantly and is projected to be 65 million euros. This is primarily due to a 17.9 million euro decline in TV revenue and a 6.4 million euro drop in advertising revenue.

Equity at the end of June stood at 9.7 million euros; it is projected to drop to 5.2 million euros after this season—following a profit in the previous season, VfL has now factored in a corresponding loss of 4.5 million euros. Thanks to the profit in the previous season, the club can accept a “strategic loss,” said Kaenzig.

Furthermore, Kaenzig announced that the club is on track to be debt-free by 2027. In recent years, VfL has reduced millions in long-term liabilities, such as the KfW loan from 2020, due to the COVID-19 crisis. By June 2026, the debt is expected to be just 300,000 euros, and by March 2027, the debt is expected to be completely paid off.

The professional team’s licensing budget for this season is around 21.6 million euros. This places VfL in the top third of the 2. Bundesliga. However, Bochum is only average in terms of transfer revenue. Therefore, the club’s clear goal is to increase transfer proceeds to “at least 8 to 10 million euros per season.” By comparison, this summer’s revenue from player sales amounted to just under 5 million euros.

You can follow the general meeting via live ticker on the WAZ website and learn more about the background of the figures.