After the announcement of a winter signing, 1. FC Bocholt has now announced the first winter departure.

Dustin Heveling is leaving 1. FC Bocholt during the winter break. The 19-year-old is joining Landesliga club Sportfreunde 97/30 Lowick, for whom he also played for many years in the youth team. His contract at Hünting, which originally ran until 2025, has been terminated.

Heveling made the leap from the U19 Lower Rhine League team of 1. FC Bocholt to the regional league squad in the summer, but did not make it into a competitive game with the professionals. Most recently, the defensive man played exclusively in the second team of the regional league west table leader in the Kreisliga A.

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

On January 4, Bocholt’s coach Dietmar Hirsch will ask his team to return to the pitch, and the first test match is scheduled for the following day. They will travel to the North 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 team Viktoria Cologne (January 9) and Belgian first division team KVC Westerlo (January 12). After their return, FCB will play two more preparation games: SV Sonsbeck (January 20, 2 p.m.) and SV Straelen (January 27, 2 p.m.), both of which are in the Oberliga.

Bocholt is currently leading the Regionalliga West by two points ahead of Alemannia Aachen. At the start of the second half 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, the team will travel to FC Wegberg-Beeck, before playing a home double header against the reserve team of SC Paderborn and against the currently bottom-placed team Sport- und Spielvereinigung Velbert.