Women

Successful coach returns

Stephan Lerch will take over as head coach of VfL Women from July.

VfL Wolfsburg have made a top-class appointment for the position of head coach of their women’s team, with Stephan Lerch returning to the She-Wolves in July after four years at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The 40-year-old has agreed a contract with the Green-and-Whites until 30 June 2027.

Lerch previously worked for Wolfsburg in various positions from 2013 to 2021, including a hugely successful stint as head coach between 2017 and 2021. During this time, he led the She-Wolves to four DFB Cup successes and three Bundesliga titles.

“VfL grew dear to my heart”

“I’m very happy to be coming back to Wolfsburg and to see lots of new but also old faces,” said Lerch. “It’s no secret that VfL grew dear to my heart in my eight years here. I’m aware of the size of the task, particularly with the imminent changes to the squad and the coaching team. But it’s precisely this challenge that motivates me. I’m confident I can master this exciting task together with the club, the team, the staff but also with the city and, last but not least, the fans. 

“As a sportsman I want to win every match. Giving my all every day to do that is the expectation I have of myself and my team. As such, my goals are very ambitious. I’m hungry to get started in the summer and to set about succeeding in every competition.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the management, in particular Peter Christiansen and Ralf Kellermann, for their trust in me as a person.”

Der neue VfL-Trainer der Frauenmannschaft Stepahn Lerch sitzt im VIP-Bereich.

“Fired up for the challenge”

“Stephan convinced us very quickly in the talks of his great enthusiasm and ideas,” said Kellermann, director of women’s football. “Even when we made the initial approach, we could tell how fired up he was for this challenge at VfL. It’s hugely important to us that we have the same ideas about how we want to overcome the tasks ahead, in order to lead women’s football at VfL Wolfsburg into a very successful future together.

“Our many years of working together have always been characterised by absolute trust. I’m sure that this is the perfect basis for building on the successes we achieved together.”

Successful first spell

Lerch won the DFB Cup in all four seasons of his first stint as head coach between 2017 and 2021. In the first three, he also completed the domestic double by winning the league title. On top of that, the 40-year-old guided the Green-and-Whites to the final of the UEFA Women’s Champions League in both 2018 and 2020.

The Darmstadt native decided to join Hoffenheim following the end of the 2020/21 campaign, where he initially coached the U17 boys’ team and a year later the U19s. In March 2023, Lerch then took charge of TSG’s women’s side as head coach and sporting director. He gave up the role of head coach at the start of this season to concentrate fully on his job as sporting director.