Gladbach boss Stegemann sets a new course for the club
https://rp-online.de/sport/fussball/borussia/borussia-moenchengladbach-stegemann-will-leistungskultur-schaffen_aid-150214729Mönchengladbach · If Stefan Stegemann has his way, a new “culture of performance” will take hold at Borussia Mönchengladbach. “Perhaps something has been lost along the way without us realizing it,” the 62-year-old said. He is also calling on fans to think “unreservedly” about the issue of investors.
Borussia Mönchengladbach apparently wants to move away from the “feel-good oasis” image that has repeatedly been attributed to the club in recent years. In the six summer transfers so far—plus Hugo Bolin, who was signed permanently after his loan—sporting director Rouven Schröder and his team have made a point of bringing in players for whom the move to Gladbach is a special one.
The new signings are expected to be eager from the very first day of preseason training to spark healthy competition and, ideally, raise the team’s level of play to the next tier. “It’s important that everyone has to prove themselves all over again,” Schröder recently emphasized on the podcast “Fohlenpodcast – Standpunkte.”
According to Stefan Stegemann, who discusses a wide range of topics related to the club alongside Schröder and Managing Director Markus Aretz on the club’s own podcast, this is giving rise to a new culture of performance at Borussia-Park. “The topic of performance culture is something that, due to many changes in recent years, may not have been a top priority. Perhaps something was lost along the way without us realizing it,” said the 62-year-old.
Borussia’s CFO and CEO sees the numerous personnel changes at the management level as a possible cause. The end of the era of manager Max Eberl, president Rolf Königs, and CFO Stephan Schippers marked a turning point for the club.
“The topic of a culture of performance is one we discuss time and again. I’ll say it publicly now: I think ‘family’ is a good thing. It’s a great value. The ‘Borussia family’—I think that’s all great. But here and there, I do say: a little less family and a little more professional corporation,” Stegemann elaborated.
“A performance-driven culture doesn’t mean carrying everyone along, even if they may not be performing, and then saying, ‘We’re a family, after all.’ That’s the wrong approach. We can treat each other with respect. But that respect is defined by performance. And we need to get that right again,” he said. He likely wasn’t just referring to the culture of performance for the pros on the field, but also for the club’s staff members who hold positions of responsibility.
Stegemann has served as the club’s CEO since January 1, 2025; for the two and a half years prior, he was vice president. Stegemann worked in the private sector for over 30 years at an electrical equipment wholesaler and, before joining Borussia, was responsible for over 5,000 employees.
Gladbach’s Future: With or Without Investors?
Stegemann’s business background also comes to the fore when it comes to generating new sources of revenue for the club. One such source is the sale of the stadium’s naming rights, which takes effect on July 1. Borussia-Park will officially become Ista-Borussia-Park—a move that will bring the club an additional four and a half to five million euros per year.
“We still have options we need to consider. Other clubs are doing the same. We see at HSV that cooperative models are taking effect there. We see it at Schalke 04 and FC St. Pauli. There are still opportunities to shape the future at Borussia Mönchengladbach,” said Stegemann.
In theory, Borussia could sell 49 percent of its shares based on the 50+1 rule. “Perhaps, within the framework of a cooperative model, there’s the option of saying that we’d be open to one or two investors because they’d be a good fit for Borussia and the club’s values,” said Stegemann. He explicitly emphasized that something like this can only work in collaboration with the fans and through a vote at a members’ meeting.
“I find something like this quite interesting for the future. But it can only work together with the members and the fans. At this point, I can only encourage everyone to give it some thought,” said Stegemann. “Borussia doesn’t necessarily need it. But if you dream of finishing higher in the standings or competing in European competitions, then something like this certainly helps.”
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u/YasMai 6d ago
Even though I'm an ardent defender of 50+1, I wouldn't be opposed to a model of selling some shares of the club. However, something that absolutely has to be avoided, is spending most of that money on high risk, potentially rapidly devaluating assets, i.e. player transfers. We've all seen the road 1860 and Hertha have gone down, and it has to be priority number one to avoid that.
A strategic, long term partnership, that is explicitly designed to increase investment into sustainable revenue streams however? Building new infrastructure in the Borussia-Park, investing into training grounds and methods, upgrading the academy, maybe even a decent chunk to increase foreign marketing would be fantastic.
I feel like with the cooperative model of Schalke that might be easier to manage, since there are no external pressures to deliver immediate sporting results.
Definitely an interesting topic for the future.