In a few years, the Schalke vs. Dortmund duel could also take place in the women’s Bundesliga. Both clubs want to aim high in women’s football. BVB has set 2027 as its goal to reach the top division. At Schalke, those in charge are a bit more cautious and would rather not announce a specific goal: a march through is not necessarily possible due to the current financial situation.
Both clubs started in 2021 – much later than most clubs – with their first team in the district league and have been able to celebrate promotion every year since then. The two traditional clubs consciously decided to start from the bottom instead of taking over the license of a higher-class club. Schalke had a women’s team in the 1980s, which was then disbanded, Dortmund did not.
The Ruhr rivals will now meet for the first time in the fourth-tier women’s football Westphalia League. BVB is the slight favorite, as the Dortmund women also have players with second-league experience in their ranks. “I’m really looking forward to the derby in the new league. As far as I can tell, BVB already has the ambition to get promoted,” said Schalke’s finance director Christina Rühl-Hamers.
The derbies are not only special for the fans – after all, there will probably be no men’s derby this season, as Schalke is in the second division and Borussia is in the Bundesliga – but also significant in sporting terms. Only one of the two clubs can ultimately be promoted to the third division.
The first Revierderby in women’s football will take place on October 27, 2024, and will be played at Schalke. In the second half of the season, the game is initially scheduled for April 27, then in Dortmund. Where the two games will take place has not yet been decided – due to the large number of spectators, a move to another home ground is conceivable. The BVB women were already able to welcome more than 4,000 fans to the Rote Erde stadium at the end of the 2023/24 season.
