FC Schalke 04 (women)

Last updated

FC Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04 Logo.svg
Founded1975;50 years ago (1975)
July 2020;4 years ago (July 2020) (refoundation)
Ground Glückauf-Kampfbahn, Gelsenkirchen
Capacity11,000
CEOMatthias Tillmann
Head coachStefan Colmsee
LeagueWestfalenliga
2023–24Landesliga, 1st (promoted)

FC Schalke 04 is a German women's association football team based in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Contents

History

DJK Eintracht Erle

In 1974, a women's football department was founded in Gelsenkirchen-Erle, four years after the ban on women's football was lifted. Early regulations differed from men's football, with shorter playing times and modified equipment. [1] DJK Eintracht Erle reached the final of the first official German Women's Championship but lost to TuS Wörrstadt. [2]

1975–1987: The first era

Former Schalke 04 president Günter Siebert sought to establish a women's division, influenced by the success of DJK Eintracht Erle and Schalke's involvement in the Bundesliga scandal. Facing financial struggles, Eintracht Erle agreed to join Schalke, with a friendly match generating funds for Erle. In 1975, Schalke 04 officially established its women's football division after integrating DJK Eintracht Erle. The team began competing in the Bezirksliga, the highest league at the time, with limited resources but growing recognition. [1]

Schalke 04’s women's team made pioneering strides in Westphalian football, winning the Westfalenmeisterschaft five times (1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985) but never advancing past the German Championship quarterfinals or the first round of the DFB-Pokal in their both participations in 1982–83 and 1984–85.

In 1987, Schalke 04 dissolved its women's team due to financial struggles worsened by the men's team's relegations to the 2. Bundesliga, which forced president Günter Siebert to implement drastic measures, including shutting down the women's division. [3]

2020s: Re-establishment

Following a brief cooperation with 1. FFC Recklinghausen  [ de ] from 2007 to 2010, [4] Schalke 04 formed a women's football team in July 2020, focusing on grassroots and amateur sports. The club began by adding a team to the Kreisliga B and gradually built a youth division. [5] Glückauf-Kampfbahn became the home venue for the women's team since their reestablishment. [6]

In the 2020–21 season, the team finished first before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021–22, Schalke became champions and earned promotion to the Landesliga, and in the following season, the team advanced to the Westfalenliga. [7] In the 2023–24 season, Schalke finished in second place behind their rivals, Borussia Dortmund, which meant they remained in the same division, as only one club could be promoted. [8]

Squad

As of 24 March 2025 [9]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
1 GK Flag of Germany.svg  GER Julia Matuszek
2 MF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Nathalie Bollmann
3 DF Flag of Turkey.svg  TUR Meltem Karadağ
4 DF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Michelle Biskup
5 DF Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  CIV Barakissa Coulibaly
6 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Jana Barbara
7 FW Flag of Germany.svg  GER Celina Jürgens
8 MF Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  BIH Edina Habibovic
10 MF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Pia Beyer
11 MF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Tuana Gedikli
14 MF Flag of Tunisia.svg  TUN Hana Hamdi
15 DF Flag of Ghana.svg  GHA Tracy Boahen
16 DF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Antonia Heilker
17 FW Flag of Germany.svg  GER Michelle Büning
18 DF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Bianca Steppich
No.Pos.NationPlayer
20 FW Flag of Germany.svg  GER Jennifer Moses
21 GK Flag of Germany.svg  GER Sophie Kleinpas
22 DF Flag of Turkey.svg  TUR Dilara Soley Deli
23 DF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Tiffany Sinner
24 DF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Shari Noffke (captain)
25 MF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Carolin Mai
27 MF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Alina Honold
30 FW Flag of Kosovo.svg  KOS Besjana Reçica
31 MF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Vada Webbeler
32 MF Flag of Croatia.svg  CRO Dana Šalić
33 MF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Tara Golparvari
79 GK Flag of Germany.svg  GER Leonie Bendzulla
MF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Joana Merten
MF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Sophie Schmidt

Current staff

As of 24 March 2025 [9]
Coaching staff
Flag of Germany.svg Stefan ColmseeHead coach
Flag of Germany.svg Marcel FreiensteinAssistant coach
Flag of Germany.svg Christoph HeselmannGoalkeeping coach
Flag of Germany.svg Tobias KirschAthletic trainer
Flag of Germany.svg Silvia Hufnagel
Flag of Germany.svg Kathrin Kortmann
Flag of Germany.svg Benjamin van Osch
Medical team and physiotherapists
Flag of Germany.svg Christina Rühl-HamersHead of Finance, Human Resources and Legal department

References

  1. 1 2 "Die ersten Pionierinnen in Königsblau" (in German). FC Schalke 04. 26 September 2020.
  2. "Fussball – Chronik des Vereins" (in German). Eintracht Erle.
  3. "Historie" (in German). FC Schalke 04.
  4. "Kooperation mit Fußballerinnen vom 1. FFC Recklinghausen". schalke04.de (in German). Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  5. "FC Schalke 04 to form a women's football team". FC Schalke 04. 2 July 2020.
  6. "Schalke-Frauen sollen in der Glückauf-Kampfbahn spielen" (in German). RevierSport. 9 July 2020.
  7. "Titel und Erfolge" (in German). FC Schalke 04.
  8. "Team I: Drei Punkte im letzten Auswärtsspiel der Saison" (in German). FC Schalke 04. 11 May 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Kader Team I" (in German). FC Schalke 04. Retrieved 24 March 2025.