VfL Bochum and Vonovia on July 2nd announced an expansion of their existing sponsorship agreement that will see the company's logo replace Tricorp on the front of Bochum's kits for the 21-22 Bundesliga season.
Vonovia is a real estate company based in Bochum that owns around 415k apartments in Germany, Sweden and Austria. It employs a total of more than 10,000 people, 1,000 of which work at its headquarters in Bochum.
Vonovia and Bochum have been partnered up since 2016 and the company already was a premium partner and holder of the stadium naming rights.
VfL Bochum Vonovia Shirt Sponsor
This picture shows the Vonovia logo on the front of the Bochum goalkeeper shirt - it's the same GK jersey that was already used last season so it remains to be seen whether this exact one will be used in the 21-22 season.
The new shirt sponsorship deal between Bochum and Vonovia will run for an initial two seasons, irrespective of the club's league allegiance.
"We are delighted that Vonovia is now also the main sponsor of VfL, over and above its existing commitment as a stadium naming sponsor," said VfL CEO Hans-Peter Villis. "It's a further commitment to Bochum as a location that one of the city's biggest employers is supporting the city's biggest club as a main sponsor."
"Sustainability is of central importance to us as a company. This also applies to our partnerships," says Arnd Fittkau, member of Vonovia's Management Board. "We stand by the Bochum location. And we stand by the club. VfL and Vonovia - it's simply a good fit. We have been closely involved with VfL, an honest and down-to-earth traditional club, for five years now. It is therefore all the nicer that we are now also showing our cooperation on the jersey. We at Vonovia are keeping all available fingers crossed for VfL in the coming years as well."
As for the Bochum 2021-2022 kits, which will be made by Nike in collaboration with 11teamsports, the club earlier this month announced that there were production issues. As part of these issues, only "player fit" versions of the new home kit were produced, delaying the release of the "standard fit" versions to October.
We expect the Nike Bochum 21-22 kits to be unveiled shortly.
Let's hear your thoughts on the Bochum's new shirt sponsor in the comments below.