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Shock for volleyball fans: SC Potsdam returns the Bundesliga license!
SC Potsdam withdraws its license for the women's volleyball Bundesliga due to financial problems and bankruptcy filing.
Shock for volleyball fans: SC Potsdam returns the Bundesliga license!
On Thursday evening, November 1st, 2025, SC Potsdam withdrew its license application for the 1st Women's Volleyball Bundesliga. This decision results from a loss of income, which forces the club to file for insolvency at the Potsdam District Court. The Volleyball Bundesliga (VBL) has announced that the gaming operating company was unable to demonstrate the required economic performance. This leads to immediate exclusion from play in the 1st league, while the right to play in the 2nd league remains unaffected. This was also confirmed by [rbb24].
In recent years, SC Potsdam has been able to celebrate sporting successes, including winning the Super Cup in 2022 and runner-up championships in 2022 and 2023. However, these successes could not distract from ongoing financial problems. According to BILD, financial difficulties had accumulated in the club over the years, including high costs due to participation in the Champions League, which ultimately led to the need to file for bankruptcy.
Financial turmoil and tax problems
The VBL had already drawn attention to serious deficiencies in the budget planning in a licensing notice dated June 18th. Positive equity could not be proven and consistent solvency was rather an unfulfilled requirement. These circumstances led to SC Potsdam being deducted a total of nine points in the 2023/24 season, which had a significant impact on the club's league position. The club also received a fine and self-reported tax and social security fraud.
The decision to return the license was made to forestall an impending license revocation by the VBL. Managing director Eugen Benzel expressed his disappointment with the league's measures and the existing fraud allegations, which further burdened the club's situation. SC Potsdam players now face the challenge of looking for new clubs shortly before the start of the season, which is particularly difficult at this time.
Consequences for the league
With the withdrawal of SC Potsdam, the league not only loses a successful club, but also an important tenant for the MBS Arena, in which the handball players of 1. VfL Potsdam previously played. The team would have opened the season on October 10th in Dresden and played its first home game on October 19th against Schwarz-Weiß Erfurt.
SC Potsdam's withdrawal is not the first incident of this kind in the women's Bundesliga. Other clubs such as VC Neuwied and Aurubis Hamburg have also withdrawn from the league for financial reasons. The VBL faces the challenge of finding sustainable solutions and ensuring sporting and economic stability in the league. Future licensing procedures will continue to target the financial health of participating clubs, as volleyballer.de reports.