Big aims with new squad: how Kellermann will lift BVB Women | OneFootball

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

First as head coach and 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 assembled a squad that was virtually without competition in the Bundesliga for many years and also made a big impact in Europe.

But Wolfsburg is in the past. Kellermann’s present and future lie in Dortmund. “The inquiry from BVB was special for me because what I was able to help build in Wolfsburg at the beginning fits perfectly 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 July 1. But even before the official start, he says he had already been “involved in planning for the new season.” 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 passionate they are about this club and how they really do everything so the team can focus 100 percent on football.” Now, he says, he is happy that things are finally truly getting underway, reveals the former second-division goalkeeper (MSV Duisburg, FSV Frankfurt).

Photo: Getty Images

A few days ago, BVB’s women began preparations for the new season. Promotion to the 2. Bundesliga is meant to crown the coming campaign. Kellermann leaves no doubt about that. As in Wolfsburg, the goal is first place, the 57-year-old stresses: “We are also going into this season to become champions and win 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,” Kellermann urges patience, saying it will still take “some time” “until everything fits.” “Maybe” even “the first matches of the season” will be needed. “What matters most to me is that all the new signings fit in personally with the players who are already here,” the sporting director explains of his recipe for success.

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