Union Berlin's women's team looking to replicate men's rapid rise
While the men are in the Bundesliga and Champions League, the women are in the third tier but making similarly rapid progress, and have big plans to reach the top...
Union Berlin, as a club, is flying right now. The rise of their men’s team has been rapid, from promotion to the Bundesliga in 2019, to Champions League group stages in 2023.
They lost just 1-0 to a stoppage time goal against European giants Real Madrid, and now play home to the likes of Leonardo Bonucci, as well as a variety of well-known names from the European game.
While the men are preparing for another giant trip to Italian champions Napoli tonight, the women will be hosting Berlin rivals Türkiyemspor in front of a modest crowd in Germany’s third division on Sunday.
While it may seem on paper a world away, there is quiet confidence among those working hard behind the scenes they could replicate the quickfire success of the men who went from the second division to facing Europe’s elite in the space of four years.
“It was very traditional and that’s still a lot of what’s at the heart of the club…”
They finished second last season, meaning they just missed out on the promotion play-offs, but this year have won nine games from nine, scored 52 goals, conceded just one and sit six points clear of main rivals Viktoria 1889 Berlin who won the Regional league last season.
A sold-out crowd of 1,500 watched them beat their rivals at their Fritz Lesch Sportplatz home 1-0 earlier this season, and they have fought to build a following of loyal fans who also support the men’s team.
Because this club is somewhat different and is owned by almost 50,000 members, all of whom have a say in how the club is run. When the club’s main stadium, the Stadion An der Alten Försterei – used occasionally by the women – was redeveloped a few years ago, 2,300 Union Berlin members helped out first hand with the work.
“Is it a ‘hipster’ club? I don’t know,” says defender Marie Becker, formerly a Germany youth team international who joined Union Berlin two years ago, of the opinion Union’s rise to fame in the men’s game and the resultant cult-following makes them a favourite for fans now outside of Germany too.
“It’s probably not doing it justice, because it used to be this real worker’s club. It was very traditional and that’s still a lot of what’s at the heart of the club. The fans will come out no matter what and if we have an important game they’ll show up for us just like they would the men.”
Becker, who spent time in the USA at college before walking away from the game for three years, describes a “special culture” around the club.
“Everything is shared. Every member has a say, they’ll come together and discuss key issues. They have held Christmas Carols every year in the stadium to bring the community together, the community is a big part of this club.”
The stadium also held the famous World Cup Living Room during the 2014 World Cup when 800 sofas were placed on the pitch for fans to enjoy the tournament on the big screen, and the event won an award a year later for its fan experience.
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While there is a long way to go to make it to the top division, they are making big moves behind the scenes to put everything in place and get people involved who know what it takes.
They’ve attracted some good signings in the last 12 months, including former Turbine Potsdam and Rangers forward Dina Orschmann, but their biggest signing earlier this year was Sporting Director, Jennifer Zietz.
Previously, head coach Ailien Poese was working both roles, so the club decided to bring in a dedicated sporting director to allow Poese to concentrate on coaching, particularly as the club move closer to a professional model this season despite their third-tier status.
Zietz is a former Germany international who won the European Championships in 2009. In her 17 years with former giants Potsdam, she captained the side and won the UEFA Champions League in 2010, as well as six Bundesliga titles.
To have someone of Zietz’s top-level experience now running the show will provide invaluable for Union’s hopes of replicating the success she enjoyed as a player herself.
“I have to work on the professional conditions for the first team,” says Zietz. “We want to take the next step into the second league. It’s about scouting, talking to players, talking to agents, talking with our coaches and with our members around the club. That’s just part of what I have to do.”
Zietz points to the fact that over the years the club as a whole was perhaps not in a strong enough position to focus as much as it does now on women’s football, but now with Bundesliga money and the added bonus of Champions League money flowing into the club, there is now extra investment trickling down.
“So now they say ‘ok, we want to push women’s football’. Women’s football at Union Berlin is traditional, when I played I played against Union Berlin, but now they are getting that extra support and money from the club.
“If we have a problem, we can talk to them, any problem we can talk to them. If we have injuries, we can call their doctors and physios, so there’s no big gap here between men and women, we’re very close.”
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