Marco Grote will be 1. FC Union Berlin's Under-19 coach for the new season. The Bremen-born coach will take over Union's oldest academy side following his last spell at Apollon Smyrnis until February.

The 49-year-old, who holds a UEFA Pro Licence, gained his first experience as a coach in the academy of HSV. As co-trainer alongside Stefan Böger, he then coached VfB Lübeck in the third division and, between 2008 and 2020, the U16, U17, U18 and U19 teams at SV Werder Bremen. In the 2020/21 season, he coached VfL Osnabrück in the 2.Bundesliga.

"Union's development in recent years has been enormous. I am very much looking forward to being a part of this special club as coach of the U19s and contributing to further successes," said Grote.

"We are delighted to have gained Marco Grote, an experienced coach, as a reinforcement for our NLZ. Marco has played offensive, successful football at Werder Bremen and pursued sustainable talent development. He has many years of experience in both junior and senior football. We are convinced that we will be able to improve our position in the NLZ with him," added Head of Coaching Andre Hofschneider.

Previous U19 coach André Vilk, will remain with the academy as a coach in a different position.