After announcing a winter addition, 1. FC Bocholt have now announced their first winter departure.

Dustin Heveling is leaving 1. FC Bocholt during the winter break. The 19-year-old joins the regional league club Sportfreunde 97/30 Lowick, for whom he also played for many years as a youth player. His contract at Hünting, which originally ran until 2025, was terminated.

Heveling made the leap from the U19 Lower Rhine League team of 1. FC Bocholt to the Regionalliga squad in the summer, but did not make any competitive appearances for the professionals. Most recently, the defensive man played exclusively in the second team of the Regionalliga West leaders in the Kreisliga A.

Christopher Schorch, sporting director of 1. FC Bocholt, explains: “Dustin is a good kid, and we wish him all the best at Lowick. He can continue to develop at a decent level in the national league and will go his own way.”

Bocholt coach Dietmar Hirsch will have his team back on the pitch on January 4, with the first test match scheduled for the following day. It’s off to northern regional league club SV Meppen (January 5, 5 p.m.).

At the training camp – in Belek, Turkey, from January 7 to 14 – Bocholt will play tests against third division side Viktoria Köln (January 9) and Belgian first division side KVC Westerlo (January 12). After their return, FCB will have two more preparation matches: SV Sonsbeck (January 20, 2 p.m.) and SV Straelen (January 27, 2 p.m.) against two Oberliga clubs.

Bocholt lead the table in the Regionalliga West with two points ahead of Alemannia Aachen. To kick off the rest of the season, 1. FC will face the second team of Bundesliga club 1. FC Köln on February 3 (Saturday, 2 p.m.). A week later, they travel to FC Wegberg-Beeck before continuing with a home double-header against the reserve team of SC Paderborn and the currently bottom-placed Sport- und Spielvereinigung Velbert.