Sportfreunde Lotte

What Sportfreunde Lotte does

Sportfreunde Lotte (legal name: VfL Sportfreunde Lotte von 1929 e.V.) is a German non-profit sports club founded in 1929 and headquartered in Lotte, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club operates a multi-department structure centered on a senior men's football team currently competing in the Oberliga Westfalen following a 2022 relegation from the Regionalliga West, with a documented peak of promotion to 3. Liga and a 2016/17 DFB-Pokal quarterfinal run. Beyond competitive football, the club runs the Lotte Juniors youth academy (with seasonal camps such as the Herbstcamp), a Breitensport (mass sports) division covering gymnastics, swimming, cheerleading, parent-child gymnastics, and rehabilitation sports, plus a dedicated children's activities program.

The club's underlying operational infrastructure is conventional for a German registered association (e.V.): it owns Stadion am Lotter Kreuz as its home venue, sells tickets through both an online shop (ticket-onlineshop.com) and stadium box office, and distributes licensed merchandise through a Capelli Sport partnership fanshop. There is no proprietary technology stack, no digital platform product, and no AI/ML capability — the input explicitly classifies core technology as not applicable for a football club.

The business model is membership-fee and sponsorship-driven, supplemented by matchday ticketing, hospitality packages, and merchandise. Pricing signals (e.g., Westfalenpokal tickets at €10 full / €8 reduced) are consistent with a community-tier amateur club. Customer segments are local community residents, supporters, and regional businesses. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Governance is by an elected Vorstand (board) with no external investors or shareholders.

Name

Sportfreunde Lotte

Legal name

VfL Sportfreunde Lotte von 1929 e.V.

Website

https://sf-lotte.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sportfreunde Lotte is a German non-profit amateur sports club (e.V.) founded in 1929, based in Lotte, North Rhine-Westphalia, operating a senior men's football team in the Oberliga Westfalen alongside a youth academy and a multi-discipline Breitensport program, funded via memberships, ticket sales, and local sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Amateur Football Club / Community Sports

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

Keywords

• Amateur football club
• Matchday ticket sales
• Youth football training
• Sports membership programs
• Club sponsorship packages

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sportfreunde Lotte is a German non-profit sports club that primarily operates a senior men's football team competing in the Oberliga Westfalen, supported by youth football development programs (Lotte Juniors) and a broad amateur sports division (Breitensport) offering gymnastics, swimming, cheerleading, and children's activity courses. The club also generates revenue through match-day ticket sales, an official fan merchandise shop run in partnership with Capelli Sport, and corporate hospitality and sponsorship packages sold at Stadion am Lotter Kreuz.

Product overview

Sportfreunde Lotte is a German football club offering a multi-tiered portfolio of sports products and services. The core offering is the professional first-team football operation competing in the Regionalliga West, supported by youth development programs (Lotte Juniors) and broad amateur sports offerings (Breitensport) including gymnastics, swimming, and children's activities. The club operates Stadion am Lotter Kreuz as its home venue and provides ancillary services including ticketing, a fanshop through Capelli Sport partnership, and hospitality/sponsoring packages. The product portfolio spans competitive football at the professional level, youth talent development, recreational sports participation, and commercial services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Senior Men's Football Team (1. Herren)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• DSVminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2022DSV, a Danish transport and logistics company and the world's third largest in its sector, became a Classic Partner supporting Sportfreunde Lotte. Their Westerkappeln branch is located just 1.5km from the stadium. The company employs around 200 logistics experts in the region.
• Toro Negro GmbHminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Toro Negro GmbH, a subsidiary of Charity Business Club e.V. founded in 2021, is the main jersey sponsor (Trikotsponsor) for Sportfreunde Lotte. The company offers products in perfumes, care products, and spirits, with 100% of profits going to charitable and non-profit projects.
• Kreissparkasse SteinfurtminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSportfreunde Lotte participates in the Kreissparkasse Steinfurt's 'Heimatpower' project, submitting two projects for funding: a new EDV (IT) system and construction of a training facility at the sports park.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SV Rödinghausen: SV Rödinghausen is a Regionalliga West club with a comparable operating footprint, small staff base, and reliance on regional corporate sponsors in NRW.
• SC Verl: SC Verl competes in Regionalliga West and is a comparable small-town North Rhine-Westphalian football club with similar matchday economics, sponsor base, and amateur/semi-professional structure.
• SV Lippstadt 08: SV Lippstadt 08 plays in Regionalliga West and operates a similar small-club model with a strong community identity, youth development focus, and regional sponsor base.
• Rot-Weiss Essen: Rot-Weiss Essen is a historic NRW club that has oscillated between the 3. Liga and Regionalliga West, sharing Sportfreunde Lotte's profile as a traditional working-class club rebuilding after relegation.
• Bonner SC: Bonner SC plays in the NRW lower leagues and mirrors Sportfreunde Lotte's community-anchored model, youth development programs, and modest commercial scale.
• Wuppertaler SV: Wuppertaler SV plays in the lower tiers of German football and shares Sportfreunde Lotte's mix of historic fanbase, multi-sport community programming, and reliance on regional B2B sponsorship.
• Alemannia Aachen: Alemannia Aachen is a large traditional NRW club that has similarly cycled between professional and amateur football tiers, sharing Sportfreunde Lotte's challenges around financial sustainability in lower divisions.
• KFC Uerdingen 05: KFC Uerdingen 05 is a former Bundesliga club now operating in the lower German football tiers with a comparable small-club budget, community focus, and dependency on regional sponsors.

Broad incumbents

• Borussia Dortmund: Borussia Dortmund is a Bundesliga incumbent headquartered in NRW; while vastly larger, it anchors the same regional football ecosystem and sets the benchmark for sponsorship, broadcast, and fan engagement economics in West German football.

Regional players

• SV Waldhof Mannheim: SV Waldhof Mannheim competes in the 3. Liga and operates a structurally similar traditional-club model in a different German region, providing a useful peer for tier economics and community-driven sponsorship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sportfreunde-lotte

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sportfreunde Lotte