Position vacant since March
©IMAGO
Jonas Boldt will take over the sporting leadership of Hannover 96 from June 1st. The Lower Saxony confirmed this on Thursday afternoon. The 44-year-old has signed a contract with the Rothosen until 2029 and will succeed Jörg Schmadtke, who was managing director of sports from January to March this year.
“I am very pleased about the opportunity to take on responsibility at Hannover 96 in the future and am approaching the task with great enthusiasm. The discussions were open, clear and trusting from the start. Now it’s about getting to know the club well quickly and shaping the sporting future together with Ralf Becker and the coaching team around Christian Titz. I am firmly convinced that we can achieve and develop a lot of positive things together here in Hannover,” said Boldt in the club’s announcement.
Boldt has been without a permanent club position since his separation from HSV. He worked as sports director in Hamburg from 2019 to 2024 before the club parted ways with him after missing out on promotion to the Bundesliga again and installed Stefan Kuntz as his successor. Boldt had previously worked at Bayer 04 Leverkusen for many years, including in scouting and later in a managerial position in the sporting area. Most recently he is said to have rejected an offer from FC Copenhagen.
Ralf Nestler, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Hannover 96, commented on Boldt’s signature: “With Jonas Boldt, we have gained a sports director who, in his previous positions, has always been responsible for the sporting development of clubs over the years and has shaped it sustainably. We are convinced that he is a very good fit for Hannover 96 with his expertise and his modern, future-oriented way of thinking.”
In Hanover, Schmadtke’s tasks have been taken over on an interim basis by managing director Henning Bindzus and sports director Ralf Becker in recent months. The Lower Saxony team, who narrowly missed out on relegation from the Bundesliga on the last match day, want to get their sporting management back on a sustainable footing as soon as possible.
