Hannover 96 has appointed Jonas Boldt as its new sports director. The 44-year-old was brought into the game through personal contacts in Hannover and won the competition for the top job at the traditional club. Boldt was not among the over 30 written applications that were received after the official departure of Jörg Schmadtke on March 31. Martin Kind, Hannover 96's club patriarch, said: „His personality, his collected experiences from his time in Leverkusen and Hamburg played a role. He has developed further at his previous stations.“ Boldt sees in Hannover 96 a club that, despite its seven consecutive years in the 2nd league, has enormous development potential and is perceived nationwide as one of the larger brands in German football. The former sports boss of Hamburger SV now has a clear task: to lead the Lower Saxony team into the Bundesliga as quickly as possible, after the goal was missed again with 4th place in the 2025/26 season. Kind said: „Mr. Boldt is to exploit the potential. We intend to develop sportingly stable – and, if possible, achieve promotion to the 1st league in the new season.“ To avoid any dissonance in the sporting area from the start, Boldt had mandatory appointments before his final appointment: with sports director Ralf Becker and coach Christian Titz. In the conversations, the three sniffed each other out, the direction was discussed, the way and manner of the respective working methods. It quickly became clear: the chemistry between the trio fits – now the Bundesliga comeback is being planned with high pressure. If this succeeds under Boldt already in the 2026/27 season, he can expect a promotion to CEO according to SPORT BILD information.