Big aims, new squad: how BVB women plan to mix it at the top | OneFootball

He is one of the architects of Wolfsburg’s success. Without Ralf Kellermann, most of the VfL women’s football team’s titles would probably have been unimaginable. Since 1 July 2026, the 57-year-old has been serving as sporting director of the BVB women’s team.

First as coach, then as sporting director, Kellermann shaped the fortunes of the “She-Wolves.” As head coach, he led the Lower Saxony side to two Champions League triumphs (2013, 2014) and three German championships (2013, 2014, 2017). As sporting director, the Duisburg native put together a squad that was virtually without competition in the Bundesliga for many years and also excelled on the European stage.

But Wolfsburg is in the past. Kellermann’s present and future lie in Dortmund. “The request from BVB was special to me because what I was able to help develop in Wolfsburg at the beginning is exactly what fits here,” he explains in an interview published by the club. With Borussia, he wants to take “the next steps” and “hopefully create something similarly successful” to what he achieved at VfL.

Become champions and earn promotion

Kellermann officially started work on 1 July. But he says he had already been “involved in planning for the new season” before the official start. He received support from “many people working around the team.” In the process, he says he “noticed how much enthusiasm all the staff bring to the job, how much they burn for this club and really do everything so that the team can focus 100 percent on football.” Now, he says, he is glad that things are finally really getting underway,” reveals the former second-division goalkeeper (MSV Duisburg, FSV Frankfurt).

Photo: Getty Images

A few days ago, the BVB women’s team began preparations for the new season. Promotion to the 2. Bundesliga is meant to crown the upcoming campaign. Kellermann leaves no doubt about that. As in Wolfsburg, the goal is first place, the 57-year-old emphasizes: “We are going into the season to become champions and earn promotion.”

A total of seven new players have joined the Black and Yellows, including star striker Alexandra Popp (35). Although there is a “clear objective,” it will still take “some time” “until everything fits,” Kellermann urges patience. “Maybe” even “the first league matches” will be needed. “What matters most to me is that all the new signings are a good personal fit with the players who are already here,” the sporting director explains as his recipe for success.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.