There have been some personnel changes at Sportfreunde Lotte. The ninth-place team in the Regionalliga West is bolstering its midfield, while also loaning out a forward.

Sportfreunde Lotte has presented its first winter signing. Midfielder Max Ritter will bolster the Blue-Whites’ offense in the second half of the season. He initially signed a contract through the summer and will thus be available for the second half of the season.

The 21-year-old is no stranger to Lotter Kreuz. In fact, Ritter already wore the SFL jersey during the 2023/24 season and played a key role in the team’s promotion to the Regionalliga West at the time, scoring a total of eight goals.

Following his successful stint in Lotte, Ritter subsequently moved to SC Paderborn, where he appeared in a total of 17 matches for the U23 team in the Regionalliga West. The 5’9” midfielder was trained, among other places, in the youth academy of Hannover 96 and in the youth ranks of VfL Osnabrück.

Now, the hard-working and creative midfielder is returning to the Sportfreunde, where he has already impressed with his versatility, speed, and strong attacking instincts. In total, Ritter played 31 competitive matches (eight goals, five assists) for Lotte, becoming a key player in the process.

At the same time, forward Ruwen Albrecht will be loaned to 1. FC Germania Egestorf/Langreder in the Oberliga Niedersachsen for the second half of the season to gain valuable playing experience. The 19-year-old joined the Sportfreunde in the summer, has already scored a goal in the Westfalen Cup, and made a brief appearance in the Regionalliga.

Fabian Lübbers’ team went into the winter break early, as the match against bottom-of-the-table SSVg Velbert, originally scheduled for last Friday, had to be canceled due to weather conditions. The match is scheduled to be rescheduled for January 16, 2026 (7 p.m.). This means the remainder of the season for the Lotter, who are spending the winter break in ninth place in the standings, will begin a week earlier than planned.