The paths of Ralf Kellermann and VfL Wolfsburg will part ways at the end of the season: Kellermann, who has served as Director of Women’s Football since 2023, will not extend his contract, which runs until 30 June 2026, at his own request. The 57-year-old has held various senior roles within women’s football at VfL Wolfsburg since 2008 – initially as head coach, from 2010 as Sporting Director and head coach in a dual role, from 2017 as Sporting Director and, for the past three years, as Director of Women’s Football. Under his leadership, the VfL Women developed into one of the most successful teams in Germany and Europe.
“Finish the current season successfully”
“The decision to leave VfL Wolfsburg in the summer was an extremely difficult one for me,” said Kellermann. “The decisive factor was the desire to take on a new challenge once again. Over all these years, I have been given complete trust in my work and together we have developed women’s football at VfL into a renowned name in European football. My thanks go first and foremost to the many long-standing companions at Elsterweg, both in the sporting and administrative areas. Without this trusting cooperation, our success would not have been possible. Together, we have mastered every challenge – most recently the major personnel restructuring ahead of the season. For that reason, I will end my time here in the summer with the good feeling of handing over the VfL Women in a healthy and stable condition. Until then, I will continue to give my full commitment and motivation to finishing the current season successfully.”
20 titles in 18 years, FIFA World Coach of the Year 2014
The era of success began in 2013 with the unexpected treble – achieved at the first attempt in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The She-Wolves repeated their European triumph in 2014, after which Kellermann was named “FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football”. Further domestic titles followed, including a total of seven German championships and eleven DFB Cup victories. Although no further international titles were added after 2014, the VfL Women reached the quarter-finals on every occasion – with the exception of the 2023/2024 season, when qualification for the UWCL group stage was missed.
“Taken women’s football in Wolfsburg to a new level”
“The influence Ralf Kellermann has had on the development and success of women’s football at VfL Wolfsburg cannot be overstated. I have great respect for the work he has done as Director of Women’s Football and in his roles as head coach and Sporting Director. Ralf has taken women’s football in Wolfsburg to a new level and developed the VfL Women into a flagship in Germany and Europe,” emphasised Managing Director for Sport Peter Christiansen. “I have greatly valued our collaboration. It has been characterised by professionalism and trust, so this decision also affects me personally. We would have liked to continue our successful path with Ralf, but we respect his decision to seek a new challenge. For the remaining matches, our full focus is on achieving our shared goal of giving Ralf a farewell marked by another title.” At the same time, VfL has begun the process of searching for a successor for the Director of Sport position, which will become vacant in the summer.
