Matthias Tillmann extends contract with Schalke 04

Long-term extension agreed with Matthias Tillmann

Tillmann has been CEO of FC Schalke 04 since 1st January 2024 and serves alongside Christina Rühl-Hamers and Frank Baumann on the club’s three-person board.

“As a supervisory board, we’re certain that Matthias is the right CEO to lead FC Schalke 04 into the next stage of its development,” said chairman of the supervisory board Axel Hefer. “He has played a major part in getting Schalke back to a point where we can look ahead with optimism. Particularly when he first took over, he was faced with a number of urgent issues that needed to be dealt with quickly. He managed that and, together with his fellow board members, made some very important decisions. Not all of them were popular at the time, but their importance is becoming clearer as time goes on.”

Hefer stressed that major changes inevitably take time to have an impact. “It hasn’t always been straightforward, but the club is now in a much stronger position in the areas that matter most and has a much clearer setup. We can now focus more of our energy on what comes next. Matthias, his fellow board members and the club’s employees have all played a major part in making that possible.”

From stabilisation to long-term development

Much of the early part of Tillmann’s tenure was spent dealing with immediate issues and bringing greater stability to the club’s day-to-day operations. During his second and third years in the role, the focus increasingly shifted towards Schalke’s long-term strategy. That work led to the creation of a clear plan of action which has since been put into practice. Together with his teams working at the club, Tillmann has helped drive forward a number of major projects, with the experience centre on Berger Feld, the Arena of the Future and Schalke’s digital offering among the club’s biggest priorities for the years ahead.

The club has also overhauled its commercial setup and worked to expand and strengthen its partnerships. An extensive review of the Schalke brand provided the basis for that work and now serves as a framework for the club’s future direction.

Several key figures have improved during Tillmann’s time in charge. FC Schalke 04 now has almost 230,000 members, while the number of partners has nearly doubled to just under 70. Hospitality season-ticket sales have increased by 50%. Revenues have increased as a result. Schalke have also continued to invest in their digital infrastructure. The club has created a centralised data architecture, launched a new app – which has already been downloaded more than 300,000 times – and continued to expand its sports technology department.

Schalke DNA at the heart of the sporting strategy

In summer 2024, the club began an extensive process under Tillmann’s leadership to establish a clear and sustainable footballing philosophy at Schalke. Almost a year later, that work resulted in the Schalke DNA being introduced across the club. Frank Baumann took responsibility for this after joining Schalke and has continued to develop it. The work carried out by the board, club staff, coaching team and players ultimately helped Schalke secure a much-celebrated return to the Bundesliga in 2026.

Tillmann was also a founding member of the board of Auf Schalke eG and helped oversee its launch, including the cooperative’s first share purchase. Around €7.5 million contributed by club members and businesses through Auf Schalke eG was transferred to the e.V. and is playing an important role this year in helping Schalke meet the Bundesliga’s equity requirements.

The supervisory board’s focus is now firmly on building on the progress made so far. “Promotion to the Bundesliga was a hugely important step, but it certainly isn’t the end of our journey,” said Hefer. “Our aim is to establish Schalke in the top flight over the long term while continuing to develop the club on the pitch, financially and structurally. That requires continuity at the top, a clearly stated division of responsibilities and a determination to keep improving in every area. The board has the full confidence of the supervisory board, and we’re delighted to have extended Matthias’ contract.”

“That’s our job”

“First of all, I’d like to thank the supervisory board for putting their trust in me, and I’m looking forward to continuing our work together,” said Matthias Tillmann. “A lot of people at Schalke have worked extremely hard over the past few years to put us back in a position where we have more scope to shape the club’s future. That’s our job, and we want to keep moving forward together. I’d also particularly like to thank Christina Rühl-Hamers and Frank Baumann. We work very closely together as a board, there is a lot of trust between us and we all share the same ambition of making Schalke a strong club for the long term. We want to get as many people as possible excited about Schalke and bring strong partners on board. That will help give us the financial foundations we need to compete consistently on the pitch.”

Tillmann also stressed that there is still a great deal of work ahead. “The Bundesliga remains a huge challenge. We still have a lot we want to achieve, both on and off the pitch. When I look at the VELTINS-Arena, I see opportunities to give more people the chance to be part of what we do. Commercially, we need to understand what our current and potential partners are looking for if we want to succeed in the market. Progress in these areas won’t always be visible straight away, but it’s vital to the club’s long-term success. We’re ambitious and want to make the most of the opportunities we’ve created together. Our job now is to shape the Schalke of tomorrow. It’s a huge privilege to take that on alongside Christina, Frank, all of our employees, fans and club members.”